January 12, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor & Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
No tree or even a branch in the city can be cut down without explicit permission from the Director General of the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), said a directive issued on Monday, January 12, by the Lahore High Court. The directive also ordered a comprehensive report on the restoration of Nasir Bagh, a historic public garden which has landed in the centre of a conservation controversy.
Justice Shahid Karim, hearing petitions against inadequate measures to combat smog, expressed satisfaction after the PHA submitted a report confirming the suspension of four officers and employees, including Project Director Javed Hamid, for unauthorized tree cutting along Canal Road.
“The Director General of PHA must be informed that no tree should be cut in the city without his permission,” Justice Karim directed. “Before cutting any tree, it should be examined to see how it or its branches can be saved.”
When the court inquired as to who had authorized the branch cutting in Nasir Bagh, the PHA’s lawyer, Barrister Haris Azmat, explained that several accidents had occurred, prompting the action. Justice Karim expressed surprise, noting that no accidents had been reported due to branches until recently.
Azmat informed the court that “a Grade 19 officer has been suspended, and an inquiry has been started against three other officers,” with departmental action initiated under the PEDA Act. He added that PHA was currently working to formalize procedures and will be holding a meeting on January 14 to address the matter.
The Nasir Bagh dispute
The court’s intervention comes amid growing concern over a proposed underground parking facility at Nasir Bagh that threatens the historic garden’s ecological integrity and mature tree canopy.
Architect, urban conservation expert, and board member of the Lahore Conservation Society, Raza Ali Dada, spoke to Voicepk following the first hearing.
“Our lawyer presented the arguments and highlighted Article 9-A of the constitution. I have visited the site myself, and the damage is not irreversible yet. The case is about obtaining a temporary stay on this construction until the matter is heard and decided.”
Dada has submitted a detailed report to the PHA proposing an alternative location for the parking plaza.
“I have also given recommendations to the PHA and suggested an alternate location for the parking plaza where there are no trees,” he said. “Furthermore, the pond at Nasir Bagh can be better restored without concrete. This approach would allow the PHA to acquire a new skill in the process.”
In his report dated January 9, 2026, Dada described Nasir Bagh as “a historic public garden whose significance lies in its open green character, collective cultural memory, and ecological function within Lahore’s urban fabric.” He noted that while excavation has begun at the site of the former fountain and lake, “to date, no steel reinforcement or concrete construction has been introduced.”
“This creates a critical and time-sensitive opportunity to halt the project and reverse the encroachment before permanent damage is inflicted,” Dada wrote, proposing that a natural lake be reinstated using non-concrete methods that allow groundwater recharge and ecological regeneration.
The report identifies an alternative site—a flat ground with minimal tree cover near the Session Courts—that could accommodate underground parking “with significantly less environmental cost” while providing “more direct and functional parking access for court users.”
Environmental and cultural concerns
One of the petitioners, Ajaz Anwar, criticized the provincial government’s approach to conservation projects in Lahore, including those at Nasir Bagh, Nila Gumbad, and Mochi Darwaza.
“The government objective was primarily geared towards money-making by building parkings and promotion of tourism, and least consideration was being given to ecological and cultural damage caused by these projects,” Anwar told Voicepk.
He challenged the government’s commitment to environmental restoration: “The government claims that the trees felled in Nasir Bagh would be replanted, but felled trees cause irreparable damage to the flora and fauna associated with these trees.”
Anwar also highlighted the contradiction in creating more parking facilities in one of the world’s most polluted cities. “Lahore is among the most polluted cities in the world due to smog and noise pollution, and building more parking areas would mean more smoke-emitting vehicles would roam in the city and not less,” he said.
He cited the Neela Gumbad conservation project as another example of misguided priorities. “The conservation project at Neela Gumbad had displaced hundreds of artisans and workers associated with the bicycle trade and repair for decades,” Anwar emphasized.
Anwar also lamented that while attention has focused on development projects, “the provincial government had not undertaken repair of the real Nila Gumbad in Lahore, said to be the shrine of Sheikh Musa Ahangar (blacksmith).” He revealed that “the shrine is the oldest pre-Mughal building in Lahore,” adding that the Lahore Conservation Society had alerted the chief secretary about the need for conservation, “but no action has been taken in this regard.”
The court has ordered that Nasir Bagh be visited and a restoration report submitted. The hearing on the petitions will continue on January 16, when Justice Karim will review the findings and determine the future of the contested parking plaza project.
The case represents a test of whether Lahore—historically known as the “city of gardens”—will prioritize its ecological and cultural heritage over commercial development pressures.