Ziarat: Lack of Gas Supply Pushing Precious Forests to the Brink of Destruction, PkMAP Warns

**Ziarat (Qudrat Daily):** The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Ziarat district chapter has expressed serious concern over the non-availability of gas in most villages of Ziarat, warning that the situation is forcing residents to burn valuable forest wood and pushing the area’s precious forests towards destruction.

In a district press release, PkMAP stated that most villages in Ziarat are still deprived of basic facilities such as gas. Even in areas where gas pipelines exist, pressure remains extremely low, making it impossible to use gas stoves or heaters. As a result, residents are compelled to rely on wood from nearby forests for fuel.

The party warned that due to this compulsion, Ziarat’s rare, valuable, and world-famous juniper forests are rapidly nearing devastation. The statement said that while people are lectured about forest conservation and the positive impact of environmental protection, the only effective means to save forests—adequate gas supply—continues to be denied to the public, calling it a grave injustice.

PkMAP further stated that for the past two months, temperatures in Ziarat have remained below freezing, severely disrupting daily life. Despite this, the party alleged that the “Form-47 imposed government” and the gas department continue to pursue anti-public policies, resulting in widespread anger among residents.

The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party strongly demanded that the government and the concerned gas department immediately restore adequate gas pressure in Ziarat to provide relief to the people and ensure the protection of the precious juniper forests. The party warned that if the demand is not met, it reserves the right to launch protests with full public support.