PESHAWAR – An audit report for 2022–23 has exposed large-scale corruption and illegal logging in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forest department.
The report found financial irregularities of more than 3.15bn rupees (about 11.25mn US dollars), showing deep administrative failures and weak accountability.
The Forest Development Corporation (FDC) report stated that timber worth 112.4mn rupees (0.4mn US dollars) lies unattended for years in Dir. Despite repeated audit observations, officials took no action in Dir and Kohistan to remove the felled timber.
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Auditors said timber contractors in Dir have not paid fines worth 430mn rupees (1.54mn US dollars). The report blamed the forest department for ignoring recovery efforts and overlooking long-standing financial lapses.
The audit also found illegal mining in forested areas, causing a loss of 847.2mn rupees (3.03mn US dollars) to the provincial treasury. It revealed misuse of funds under the Billion Tree Tsunami project, where officials made excess payments of 1.23bn rupees (4.39mn US dollars) at the Kunhar Watershed in Mansehra.
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In Buner, the same project recorded excess payments of 41.7mn rupees (0.15mn US dollars). The report said the department keeps no proper data for the watchmen assigned to protect the Kunhar Watershed, raising concerns about fake or ghost employees.
Experts say the findings expose deep-rooted corruption in the forest department and the FDC. They argue that unchecked graft and weak oversight threaten Pakistan’s environmental policies and afforestation drives, especially the Billion Tree Tsunami initiative.
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Environmental analysts have urged the provincial government to recover the missing funds and punish responsible officials. They called for stronger monitoring systems, warning that without quick reforms, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s forest resources could face irreversible damage.
