Abbottabad authorities arrested a man for setting a portion of a forest on fire to make a TikTok video. The video of the TikToker went viral on social media, sparking mass criticism from the public.
The video shows the man using a cigarette lighter to intentionally set precious trees on fire. Social media users criticized the man for destroying natural resources for a sake of a video.
“Forest fires are neither a joke nor material for social media posts,” Abid Majeed tweeted.
Forest 🔥🔥r neither a joke, nor material for social media posts
these take a heavy toll on men & material of @FEWDKPGovt , @KPRescue1122 , District Admin & private citizens/local or the area including casualties
Gentleman has been traced & will b investigated#conservation 🌲🌳 pic.twitter.com/tyRAJV0eQ6— Abid Majeed (@AbidMajeed1969) May 5, 2022
Authorities identified the person from the video and arrested him after hours of manhunt. A case has also been registered against the suspect, officials said.
“Staff of Abbottabad Wildlife Division arrested the accused who made a TikTok video by setting fire in the forest,” the Wildlife Department of KP tweeted.
Read more: Govt to launch State of Forest Report based on satellite monitoring
ایبٹ آباد وائلڈ لائف ڈویژن کے سٹاف نے جنگل میں آگ لگا کر ٹک ٹاک/ویڈیو بنانے والے ملزم کو گرفتار کر لیا۔ pic.twitter.com/xoFfeEN5L0
— Wildlife Department KP (@WildlifeKPGovt) May 6, 2022
A dire situation
Important to note that Pakistan is among the top ten countries facing the serious impact of climate change and global warming. In fact, there are warnings that Pakistan and India will face record-breaking heatwave this summer.
As per the latest prediction by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the temperatures may rise by six to eight degrees in most parts of the country in the coming days. Upper and Central Sindh, Central and South Punjab, and Balochistan are likely to experience six to eight degrees higher temperatures than normal days.
However, forests are “essentially air-conditioning systems” as they absorb greenhouse gases. The evapotranspiration in forests also increases cloud coverage and promotes rainfall.
Needless to say, such insensible acts for a video will only add to Pakistan’s climate woes. Moreover, the previous government worked incredibly hard to plant trees to protect Pakistan from the adverse effects of climate change.
Read more: 100 million trees to be planted in Pakistan over five years
On the other hand, Tiktokers going to such extreme measures for a video often forces the Pakistani government to ban the app in the country.