Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday vowed to make Pakistan “cleaner than Europe” as he formally launched a campaign aimed at improving sanitary conditions in the country.

Khan planted a sapling and participated in the “Clean and Green Pakistan” drive at the Model College for Girls in Islamabad, according to Radio Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister urged the students and youth to lead the campaign as it is connected with the future of the country.

Khan vowed to make the country “cleaner than Europe” in five years.

“For this to happen, we will also have to bring a change in our mindset,” he said.

He pointed out that “plantation is imperative to protect the environment and check global warming”.

He said Pakistan is the seventh most vulnerable country to global warming. He mentioned that Lahore is among the cities where the pollution level is very high.

Khan claimed his party’s government had planted a billion trees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

He said his government has now set a target of planting 10 billion trees across the country which he said will change the weather pattern.

Khan said under the cleanliness drive, sewerage and sanitation systems will be improved not only in cities but also in slums and villages. He said as part of integrated solution, dumping sites would be identified from village to tehsil level for disposal of solid waste.

Khan said the country requires efforts from students to make Pakistan clean and green.

Death penalty plea

A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court on Saturday seeking the death penalty for a killer of a minor girl in Punjab province of Pakistan.

The anti-terrorism court here on Friday issued death warrants for Imran Ali, 23, to be hanged on October 17. In January, police arrested Ali two weeks after he allegedly killed the girl,7.