Kashmir Chowk Trees Vanish Despite Greener Islamabad Promise
Journalist Rauf Klasra has raised concerns after sharing footage described as being from Islamabad’s Kashmir Chowk, while official records show CDA says 470 trees affected by the underpass alignment are being transplanted rather than cut down.
ISLAMABAD: Development work around Kashmir Chowk has triggered fresh debate over the protection of Islamabad’s green cover after senior journalist Rauf Klasra shared a video on social media showing heavy machinery operating inside a densely vegetated area.
In his post, Klasra described the footage as the latest video from Kashmir Chowk and questioned the apparent removal of trees and vegetation at a time when authorities have repeatedly pledged to make Islamabad greener.
The video, as shared by Klasra, appears to show an excavator working among mature vegetation. However, the footage by itself does not establish whether the trees visible at the site were being cut, uprooted for transplantation, or cleared as part of other preparatory work.
Kashmir Chowk Underpass Project
The controversy comes as the Capital Development Authority moves ahead with its major Kashmir Chowk Underpass Project, officially described as a traffic-management solution aimed at reducing congestion at the busy junction connecting Murree Road, Srinagar Highway and adjoining routes.
According to procurement records, the project was tendered as the “Traffic Management Solution at Kashmir Chowk, Murree Road, Islamabad,” with the bidding documents providing a 90-day completion period.
Dawn reported last month that the CDA accepted a bid of approximately Rs1.45 billion, against an estimated tender cost of Rs1.486 billion, with Habib Construction Services selected for the project. Preliminary work included clearing and grubbing, utility shifting and planning of traffic diversions.
The project’s environmental dimension, however, had already been formally placed under regulatory review. Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency records show that an Environmental Impact Assessment process was undertaken for the Traffic Management Solution at Kashmir Chowk, while CDA also issued a public notice concerning the EIA.
CDA Says 470 Trees Being Transplanted
Significantly, CDA’s stated position differs from the impression created by the latest social-media criticism.
On September 20, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported, citing CDA’s Environment Wing, that 470 trees falling within the alignment of the Kashmir Chowk underpass were being shifted to Parade Ground, Shakarparian, and other suitable locations instead of being cut down.
According to that account, trees were being scientifically uprooted with their root balls, transported on trailers and replanted under the supervision of the CDA Environment Wing. Officials said wrapping, watering, soil preparation and aftercare arrangements were being made to maximise their chances of survival.
That detail is particularly relevant to the footage now circulating online: the presence of excavators around trees does not, on its own, establish that the trees are being permanently destroyed. Heavy machinery can also form part of a transplantation operation involving extraction of trees and their root systems.
At the same time, questions surrounding the actual survival of transplanted mature trees, the number successfully shifted, and their condition after relocation remain matters that can only be assessed through follow-up monitoring. Publicly available reports reviewed by Islamabad Tribune describe CDA’s transplantation plan but do not yet provide an independently verified survival rate for all 470 trees.
Green Campaign Adds to Public Scrutiny
The issue has attracted attention partly because it comes amid an aggressive campaign by CDA to project Islamabad as a greener and more environmentally sustainable capital.
As recently as September 29, CDA said it was intensifying tree plantation, landscaping and beautification across roads, green belts, parks and public spaces under directions associated with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Earlier in September, the authority had similarly announced a large-scale plantation campaign aimed at strengthening Islamabad’s green character and improving environmental quality.
The Kashmir Chowk project therefore highlights the difficult balance between rapid infrastructure development and preservation of Islamabad’s established urban greenery.
CDA says the underpass is intended to improve traffic flow and provide long-term relief to commuters. During a September inspection, CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa reviewed the project and directed officials to maintain progress and resolve implementation bottlenecks, while reiterating the authority’s objective of keeping Islamabad developed, clean and green.
Under the planned traffic arrangement, vehicles travelling from the Serena side towards Rawalpindi are expected to use the underpass, while traffic towards Murree will move over it.
Calls for Greater Transparency
The emerging debate is therefore not simply about whether infrastructure should be constructed, but whether environmental safeguards promised alongside that development are being implemented transparently and effectively.
For greater public clarity, publication of a detailed tree inventory — including the species and size of trees affected, transplantation locations, survival monitoring and any trees ultimately removed — could allow residents to independently assess whether the project is meeting its environmental commitments.
For now, Klasra’s post reflects growing public scrutiny of development activity around Kashmir Chowk, while the documented CDA position remains that hundreds of affected trees are being relocated rather than simply removed.
