Pakistan, Jan. 14 -- The Capital Development Authority insists that the chainsaws are saving lives. Over 29,000 paper mulberry trees have been removed since December-felled across Shakarparian, Fatima Jinnah Park, and the Islamabad Expressway-in a bid to curb pollen-induced respiratory illnesses. Each loss, authorities say, will be offset by three fresh saplings. A health campaign, they call it.

But not all the stumps tell that story. WWF-Pakistan's field investigations show the cutting goes well beyond allergenic trees. In multiple locations, mature canopies have been cleared for roads, monuments, and infrastructure projects. In H-8 alone, five hectares of green cover have vanished. The health rationale, it turns out, conceals another a...