RAWALPINDI – Bilal Yamin Satti, Member of the Punjab Assembly from Murree, stated on Thursday that the forest department failed to effectively manage the recent wildfire, which destroyed trees spanning thousands of hectares in Kotli Sattian and Murree. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA addressed a press conference in the garrison city, raising concerns about the inefficiency of the Guzara Forest Division.
Negligence and Resource Mismanagement
“The primary reason for the spreading wildfire is the sheer incompetence of the Guzara Forest Division,” Satti said. He dismissed claims that the division lacks resources, asserting, “They actually have millions of rupees available in their accounts, but extreme negligence was shown in handling this matter, allowing the fire to spread and cause severe damage.”
While the main forest department kept its system fully active—utilizing machinery and thermal drones to monitor and halt the fire—the Guzara Forest Division proved to be the downfall of these woods, the ruling party representative maintained.
Demand for Accountability
Demanding accountability, Satti said, “We demand that the Punjab chief minister and the senior minister abolish the Guzara Division and hand over all management to the main forest department. Hundreds of acres of forest have been burned to the ground; simply registering FIRs against local residents will not resolve this issue. This is massive negligence on the part of the Guzara Forest Division, and they must be punished. I urge an audit of their accounts to prove they possess millions in funding. I represent an area directly under this division, and those claiming they lack resources are wrong.”
Media reports indicated that the devastating forest fire, fueled by a recent intense heat wave, decimated an estimated 3,037 hectares (7,504.7 acres) of natural forest tree cover across 25 locations in the ecologically sensitive Kotli Sattian region of Punjab. According to satellite data released by SUPARCO, analysis comparing imagery from May 9 to May 29, 2026, shows extensive damage in Chir (pine) forests.
Tourism and Development
The PML-N MPA from the hill station also discussed the need for promoting tourism in the area and requested the lifting of the lockdown in Murree. He said, “I have written a letter to the CM, requesting the lifting of the lockdown in Murree district. The lockdown is destroying the local economy, and tourists are diverting to Kashmir and other regions instead.”
“We expect the chief minister to make an immediate decision on our request so that Murree’s tourism sector does not face further losses. The government has already provided billions of rupees to promote tourism. Billions of rupees have been allocated in the upcoming fiscal year to boost tourism in Murree.” Satti added that a chairlift project worth 17 billion rupees will be installed in Murree and Kotli Sattian, and Pakistan’s first-ever glass bridge, worth 3 billion rupees, is in its final approval stages in Kotli Sattian.
Local Government Reforms
Speaking about delimitation and local government reforms, the MPA said that Murree is the only district where the number of Union Councils (UCs) has more than doubled. In Rawalpindi, a UC is formed for every 25,000 people, whereas in Murree, a UC has been created for every 8,000 people. In the past, the number of UCs in Kotli Sattian was reduced from ten down to four. Now, that number has been increased to 15. Notably, 50% of Kotli Sattian falls under the Guzara Forest, he noted.
MPA Satti said that the current government has passed new legislation regarding local governments, and the delimitations for UCs have been finalized. The last local body elections were held in 2015, also during the PML-N government’s tenure. It is other political parties that run away from local body elections, not his party. The schedule for the local body elections will be announced very soon. The notion that these local body elections will be non-party-based is incorrect. If someone wants to contest on a party ticket, and the party wishes to award it, they will absolutely be allowed to do so, the Punjab legislator concluded.
