Islamabad: Jamshed Iqbal, the firefighter who lost his life battling flames in a forest in Chitral forest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has been hailed as a “hero” by Pakistan’s prime minister.
Sharing photos of Iqbal on his Twitter account, Imran Khan said: “These are our heroes protecting our forests for a green Pakistan.” Describing the tragic incident, the premier shared that Jamshed Iqbal, a forester in Chitral forest division lost his life in the line of duty while fighting a forest fire in Chumurkun-Gole protected forest on August 19.
Iqbal fell to his death from the mountain during the fire-fighting mission. He was shifted to the hospital by Rescue 122 but died as a result of serious injuries, the local media reported.
While praising the bravery of the firefighter, the local residents called for enhanced protection to help firefighters better prepare for and respond to emergencies and investigate arson incidents.
Residents of Chitral demanded an award for the hero for his valuable services to protect the forest - natural assets of Pakistan. Iqbal was “an honest, dedicated, committed and passionate official of the forest department of Chitral”, wrote Sarwar Kamal in Chitral Today, demanding national appreciation for the son of Chitral at the highest level.
“No one knows the importance of forests better than Prime Minister Imran Khan whose services for the environment have been recognised globally,” he said, demanding that “Iqbal should be awarded a national award on March 23 next year” when the annual ceremony is held to recognise contributions of Pakistanis in different fields. The recognition will motivate people to take action on climate change, he added.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is on a mission to plant 10 billion trees across the country to combat climate change. The country’s ambitious plantation project has been described as one of the most successful green initiatives in the world. Khan recently inaugurated the world’s biggest Miyawaki urban forest in Lahore to bring back the green glory and beauty and reverse the effects of environmental neglect during urban development.
Pakistan also aims to create 200,000 new green jobs by the end of this year under its environmental protection and restoration projects, according to prime minister’s climate change adviser Malik Amin Aslam.
On August 12, students in Pakistan’s city of Gujranwala had set a new world record by planting more than 52,000 saplings in one minute. The activity was organised under the national Clean Green 10 Billion Tree plantation programme to inspire young people to take climate action.
