'Not a single tree' will be cut down to upgrade Islamabad's F-9 Park, interior minister assures residents

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday assured the residents of Islamabad that “not a single tree” will be cut down during the planned upgradation of the city’s F-9 Park.

In a post on X, the minister shared an Instagram video of an Islamabad resident requesting that if the park were to be developed, more greenery be planted instead of concrete buildings.

In his response, Naqvi recognised that F-9 Park — also known as Fatima Jinnah Park — “holds a special place in the hearts” of Islamabad residents and clarified that no trees would be removed in the process of developing the park.

“Let me make it absolutely clear that not a single tree will be cut, 100 per cent guaranteed,” he said. He further vowed that there would be “no new concrete structures”.

Instead, the planned upgrades included “better lighting, a beautiful lake, coffee shops, improved walkways” and the plantation of “thousands” of more trees in the park, the interior minister added.

“Our only goal is to make F-9 Park greener, safer, more beautiful, and more enjoyable for families and visitors,” he said.

Naqvi has previously shared plans to upgrade and improve recreational facilities around Islamabad, working with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to create a “more developed, clean, green, beautiful, safe, environmentally sustainable and citizen-friendly capital” while enhancing its tourism potential.

In April, he sought a comprehensive plan for transforming F-9 Park on the model of London’s Hyde Park, and for developing recreational facilities near Shahdara Dam.

However, development projects in the historically green city have not always been favourably received by residents, inciting concerns particularly over deforestation and clearance of land for residential areas.

At the start of this year, a large-scale tree removal drive took place in at least three locations in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), including around the Shakarparian area, sparking widespread public criticism.

The CDA maintained that only paper mulberry trees were removed as they had been causing pollen allergies, and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry assured lawmakers that a greater number of trees would be planted in the coming months.

In 2024, the Supreme Court (SC) took notice of the removal of trees in F-9 Park and restrained the CDA from cutting trees in the area. The CDA, in response, told the SC that about 7,000 paper mulberry trees had been cut down because they caused allergies.