Karachi: Karachi’s Administrator, Murtaza Wahab, celebrated his wife’s birthday in a unique way - by planting trees at an urban forest in front of the Mausoleum of founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
Wahab, accompanied by his wife, went to the Jinnah Urban Forest, which is being developed jointly by Quaid-e-Azam Mausoleum Management Board, civil society organisations, and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
Also on the occasion, Wahab donated 10 benches for visitors to the urban forest in memory of his late parents. His father, Wahab Siddiqui, was a senior Karachi-based journalist, while his mother, Fauzia Wahab, who died in 2012, was a senior leader of Pakistan Peoples’ Party.
Karachi’s Administrator appreciated the fact that the urban forest had grown over 12 acres of land next to the Mausoleum of founder of the nation as earlier the place was almost barren.
He said the public sector, district administration, and Karachi’s municipality had joined hands with the civil society to grow the urban forest.
He said that such urban green spaces would serve as lungs in the city for coming generations.
Wahab invited Karachi residents to plan with the government to grow more urban forests as sufficient space was available in the city for increasing tree cover.
He noted that there had been positive change in the attitude of the public as they had sensed the importance of greenery, instead of cutting down trees for building concrete structures.
