Bureau Report
Islamabad/Rawalpindi
Al Mustafa Welfare Trust has stepped up its nationwide tree plantation campaign, bringing students, orphaned children, educators, community leaders and volunteers together in a series of plantation drives across Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The campaign, being conducted under the vision of a “Green and Clean Pakistan,” aims to plant thousands of saplings across the country while raising awareness about climate change, air pollution and the importance of protecting the environment.
At the Cottage Trust Technical Institute on Java Road, Rawat, Rawalpindi, hundreds of students enthusiastically participated in a large-scale plantation drive organised by Al Mustafa Welfare Trust. The students planted saplings themselves and pledged to protect them and take responsibility for their growth into mature trees.
Cottage Foundation CEO General (Retd.) Tariq Gilani and Managing Director Al Mustafa Pakistan Ms. Nusrat Saleem also joined the students and planted saplings.
Institute Headmistress Ms. Qurrat-ul-Ain Abbasi and Al Mustafa Coordinator Wahid Bakhsh played a key role in organising the event.
The plantation campaign also reached the Baseera Trust Orphan House on Simly Dam Road, Islamabad, where children living at the facility joined Al Mustafa volunteers in planting trees.
Ms. Nusrat Saleem, Al Mustafa Welfare Trust UK Trustee Ms. Rubina Khawaja, researcher, author and poet Sajjad Azhar, and Muhammad Nawaz Kharal planted saplings alongside the children and spent time encouraging them to participate in the environmental initiative.
Another major plantation activity was held at the Al-Firdous Community School and College at Saiban Hill, Bhara Kahu, where students joined Al Mustafa representatives and community figures in planting saplings across the institution’s spacious lawns.
Those participating included Ms. Nusrat Saleem, Ms. Rubina Khawaja, social figure Tahir Loon, College CEO Maqsood Naqvi, Principal Ms. Hina Arshad, Sajjad Azhar, Muhammad Nawaz Kharal and Wahid Bakhsh.
Speaking on the importance of the campaign, Ms. Nusrat Saleem said that tree plantation was not merely about planting saplings but about creating a long-term sense of environmental responsibility among the younger generation.
She said Al Mustafa wanted children and students to understand that planting a tree was only the beginning; protecting it and helping it grow was an equally important responsibility.
The campaign is being conducted as part of Al Mustafa’s wider efforts to contribute to a healthier environment and help Pakistan address the growing challenges posed by climate change and air pollution.
The organisation has set a target of planting thousands of saplings across Pakistan, with the nationwide plantation campaign continuing until September 12.
Through the initiative, Al Mustafa is seeking to turn environmental protection into a community movement by involving schools, colleges, social organisations, volunteers and young people.
“Our Dream — A Green and Clean Pakistan.”
Photography: Nasir Iqbal
