Context: On August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan, while addressing the inauguration of a plantation drive at Shakarparian, claimed that the United Nations Food and Agricultural Authority has found that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a 6.5% growth in forest cover.
Claim: “The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation has acknowledged that Pakistan has planted more than 1 billion trees and has increased forest cover in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 6.5%.”
Claimant: Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan
Source of Claim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsFGvaepmoU (Starts at 2:05)
Status: True
Sources:
- http://www.fao.org/policy-support/resources/resources-details/en/c/1201502/ “Forest Futures. Sustainable pathways for forests, landscapes and people in the Asia-Pacific region” Report Authored by the UN Food and Agriculture Authority.
Report/Ruling:
The UN FAO, in its report “Forest Futures. Sustainable pathways for forests, landscapes and people in the Asia-Pacific region,” has found that “the Government of Pakistan province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa enabled an increase in the province’s forest area of 5.6 per cent through its Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project from 2014-2017.”
Hence, while the Prime Minister’s figures are not precise, he is broadly correct in claiming that the FAO found a significant increase in forest area in KP during the previous PTI government in the province.
