ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan’s flagship Chilgoza pine forest restoration project received major international recognition in Italy on Tuesday. The ‘UN Decade on Eco­system Restoration Wor­­ld Restoration Flag­ship Awa­rd’ for the project ‘Rever­s­ing Deforesta­tion and Deg­radation in High Conser­vation Value Chilgoza Pine Forests’ was announced during the 80th anniversary celebrations of the UN Food and Agriculture Org­anisation (FAO) and the World Food Forum held in in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday. Implemented between 2018 and 2025 under the Restoration Initiative, the project is a joint effort of the Ministry of Climate Change, provincial forest departments and FAO. It focuses on conserving and restoring the country’s unique Chilgoza pine forests across Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa, Baloch­istan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, FAO said. Pine nuts generate over $25 million annually for Pakistan. FAO’s approach is now being scaled up with national resources, including $3m from the KP Forestry Department. According to FAO, restoration of 20 per cent of degraded Chilgoza forests has been achieved throu­­gh income-generating activities for local communities, such as pine nut processing units. Speaking at the award ceremony, PM’s adviser Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah said the initiative had restored 3,800 hectares of degraded forest land. _Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025_

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan’s flagship Chilgoza pine forest restoration project received major international recognition in Italy on Tuesday. The ‘UN Decade on Eco­system Restoration Wor­­ld Restoration Flag­ship Awa­rd’ for the project ‘Rever­s­ing Deforesta­tion and Deg­radation in High Conser­vation Value Chilgoza Pine Forests’ was announced during the 80th anniversary celebrations of the UN Food and Agriculture Org­anisation (FAO) and the World Food Forum held in in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday. Implemented between 2018 and 2025 under the Restoration Initiative, the project is a joint effort of the Ministry of Climate Change, provincial forest departments and FAO. It focuses on conserving and restoring the country’s unique Chilgoza pine forests across Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa, Baloch­istan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, FAO said. Pine nuts generate over $25 million annually for Pakistan. FAO’s approach is now being scaled up with national resources, including $3m from the KP Forestry Department. According to FAO, restoration of 20 per cent of degraded Chilgoza forests has been achieved throu­­gh income-generating activities for local communities, such as pine nut processing units. Speaking at the award ceremony, PM’s adviser Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah said the initiative had restored 3,800 hectares of degraded forest land. _Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025_

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan’s flagship Chilgoza pine forest restoration project received major international recognition in Italy on Tuesday. The ‘UN Decade on Eco­system Restoration Wor­­ld Restoration Flag­ship Awa­rd’ for the project ‘Rever­s­ing Deforesta­tion and Deg­radation in High Conser­vation Value Chilgoza Pine Forests’ was announced during the 80th anniversary celebrations of the UN Food and Agriculture Org­anisation (FAO) and the World Food Forum held in in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday. Implemented between 2018 and 2025 under the Restoration Initiative, the project is a joint effort of the Ministry of Climate Change, provincial forest departments and FAO. It focuses on conserving and restoring the country’s unique Chilgoza pine forests across Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa, Baloch­istan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, FAO said. Pine nuts generate over $25 million annually for Pakistan. FAO’s approach is now being scaled up with national resources, including $3m from the KP Forestry Department. According to FAO, restoration of 20 per cent of degraded Chilgoza forests has been achieved throu­­gh income-generating activities for local communities, such as pine nut processing units. Speaking at the award ceremony, PM’s adviser Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah said the initiative had restored 3,800 hectares of degraded forest land. _Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025_

Tribune News Service Shimla, August 12 A delegation of the Kingdom of Bhutan called on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today and discussed mutual relations, including an agreement of friendship. The Chief Minister said that relations between India and Bhutan had always remained cordial. He added that an agreement of friendship was signed between both countries in 1949 and was renewed in 2007. The Bhutanese delegation led by its Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Bhutanese Embassy, Tashi Peldon and Minister Counsellor, Royal Bhutanese Embassy, Chimi Wangmo met the Chief Minister in Shimla.

Punjab Newsline, Shimla- A delegation of the Kingdom of Bhutan led by its Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Bhutanese Embassy, Tashi Peldon and Minister Counselor, Royal Bhutanese Embassy, Chimi Wangmo called on CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today and discussed mutual relations, including agreement of friendship. The Chief Minister said that relations between India and Bhutan have always remained cordial. He said that an agreement of friendship was signed in 1949 between both the countries, which was renewed in 2007. He said that it was a matter of happiness that Himachal Pradesh was strengthening these ties by handing over 5,000 Chilgoza seedlings to the Department of Forests and Park Services, Royal Government of Bhutan, as a token of friendship from the people of Himachal Pradesh.

In a significant step towards ecological conservation and economic sustainability, Collective Efforts for Voluntary Action (CEVA), a Chamba-based NGO, has joined hands with the Forest Department to launch a large-scale plantation drive in Pangi Valley. The initiative aims to plant 5,000 thangi (hazelnut) and chilgoza pine saplings, ensuring both environmental benefits and economic uplift for the tribal communities. The drive was inaugurated in Barneyu village of Mindhal Panchayat and is set to continue across the region for the next four to five days. Speaking on the importance of the initiative, Haresh Kumar, secretary of CEVA, highlighted that both hazelnuts and chilgoza pine are key to the local economy.