Pakistan launches mangrove plantation drive amid push for environmental restoration

In this handout photo dated September 28, 2025, Pakistan Navy personnel plant saplings during the Mangrove Plantation Campaign 2025 at Bin Qasim, Gharo. (Pakistan Navy/Handout)
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Updated 28 September 2025
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Pakistan launches mangrove plantation drive amid push for environmental restoration

  • Mangrove forests are critical to combating climate change, preserving biodiversity and protecting coastal communities against erosion, disasters
  • Pakistan ranks among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations and seawater intrusion is triggering collapse of its coastal villages, farmlands

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has launched a mangrove plantation drive along the country’s southern coast, its Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) said on Sunday, amid Pakistan’s push for environmental restoration.

Mangrove forests have a critical role in combating climate change, preserving biodiversity, and protecting coastal communities from erosion and natural disasters, environmental experts say.

The latest campaign was launched in collaboration with the forest departments of Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces as well as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), according to the DGPR.

Coast Commander Rear Admiral Faisal Amin launched the drive by planting a sapling and said the campaign aims to promote environmental awareness and strengthen coastal resilience.

“The mangrove plantation campaign is part of Pakistan Navy’s environmental protection program, under which the Navy has planted 8.7 million mangroves from Shah Bandar to Jiwani,” the DGPR said.

Pakistan ranks among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. The downstream flow of water into its Indus delta has decreased by 80 percent since the 1950s as a result of irrigation canals, hydropower dams and the impacts of climate change on glacial and snow melt, according to a 2018 study by the US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water. That has led to devastating seawater intrusion.

Due to this decline in flow of fresh water, Sindh forest authorities launched an extensive reforestation drive in the 1990s and planted harder, salt-tolerant mangrove species such as Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculatum, Rhizophora mucronata and Ceriops tagal. As a result, the Indus delta now boasts one of the largest arid climate mangrove forests in the world.

These plantation drives have also created employment opportunities for the local populace, according to the DGPR.

“Marine conservation and sustainable development are integral to Pakistan Navy’s environmental initiatives, and this campaign stands as a testament to the Navy’s unwavering commitment to preserving the country’s coastal environment for future generations,” it added.


Pakistan rejects Amnesty claims of Israeli spyware use, calls reports ‘disinformation’

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Pakistan rejects Amnesty claims of Israeli spyware use, calls reports ‘disinformation’

  • FO denies any link with Israel, says Pakistan has “absolutely no cooperation” on surveillance tools
  • Islamabad accuses India of delaying clearance for relief aircraft bound for flood-hit Sri Lanka

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected an Amnesty International report alleging the use of Israeli-made invasive spyware in the country, calling the findings speculative and misleading.

Amnesty’s investigation, published Thursday under the title Intellexa Leaks, cited the case of a Pakistan-based human rights lawyer who reported receiving a suspicious WhatsApp link in 2025. According to Amnesty International’s Security Lab, the link bore signatures consistent with Predator, a spyware product developed by Israeli manufacturer c

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi dismissed the suggestion that Islamabad had deployed the tool or maintained any technological cooperation with Israel.

“These are all media speculations. These are all rumor-mongering and disinformation. There is absolutely no cooperation between Pakistan and Israel on anything, let alone a spyware or these kinds of tools. So, I would reject it quite emphatically,” he said at a weekly briefing.

Andrabi also accused India of obstructing humanitarian operations, saying New Delhi delayed flight clearance for a Pakistani relief aircraft carrying aid to flood-affected Sri Lanka.

“The special aircraft carrying Pakistan’s relief goods had to wait for 48 hours, in fact more than 48 hours, around 60 hours, while the flight clearance from India was delayed,” he said.

He added that the eventual conditional flight window was too narrow to be workable.

“The partial flight clearance which eventually was given after 48 hours was operationally impractical, time-bound just for a few hours and hence not operable, severely hindering the urgent need for the relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka,” Andrabi stated.

“Humanitarian assistance is like justice, if it is delayed, it is denied.”

Responding to India’s claim that clearance was granted within four hours, he said Pakistan has documentary proof contradicting New Delhi’s version.

On a separate question about reported delays in the arrival of a Turkish delegation aimed at mediating between Islamabad and Kabul, Andrabi said Pakistan welcomed Ankara’s initiative but was unaware of the cause of postponement.

“We stand ready to receive the Turkish delegation. That delegation has not arrived as yet. And I’m not aware of any schedule. Pakistan is ready to hold negotiations, discussions,” he said, adding that the delay may be linked to coordination with the Afghan side.