LAHORE, Feb 12 (NNI): Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday launched the countrywide spring tree plantation drive and urged the whole nation to join it for their children's future.

"The whole nation should take part in it because this is a question of our children's future. All including school children, university and college students should be made part of it. Allocate them specific areas for protection of plants," the prime minister said addressing the launching ceremony of spring tree plantation at Miyawalki Urban Forest at Jilani Park here.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab Minister Mian Mahmood Rasheed, Special Assistant to CM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan attended the event.

The prime minister unveiled a plaque and planted a sapling to launch the plantation as part of government's efforts to accomplish the target of 10 billion trees during the five-year term.

The Jilani Park's Miyawalki Forest is one of the 51 sites being developed in Lahore to revive the city's green cover and address the issues of pollution particularly the smog.

Pioneered by a Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, Miyawalki is a unique technique that helps build native forests 10 times faster and 30 times denser. Under the approach, dozens of native species are planted in the same area, close to each other, which ensures that the plants receive sunlight only from the top, and grow upwards than sideways.

The prime minister said the children's participation in 10 Billion Tree was essential because all was being done to protect their future.

He said in parliamentary democracies, the governments unfortunately had been thinking of their election victory and executed short-term projects to inaugurate and win votes. He said long term planning was inevitable for any country's development and exemplified China which had started massive plantation in the country and also introduced green cities to suppress the pollution caused by massive development. NNI