SC constitutional bench seeks climate change reports from provincial govt
ISLAMABAD: A six-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court has sought climate change reports from provincial governments.
The bench, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, began hearing a petition on environmental pollution on Thursday. Other members of the bench include Justices Jamal Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Musarrat Hilali.
This marks the first environmental pollution case brought before the constitutional bench, which intends to address various environmental challenges. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar pointed out that the rapid development of housing societies is harming the environment, while Justice Musarrat Hilali referred to a letter from Justice Nasim Hasan Shah raising concerns about Islamabad turning into an industrial zone.
Justice Jamal Mandokhail emphasized that pollution is a national issue, not confined to Islamabad, and identified vehicular emissions as a significant contributor. He also questioned the measures taken to mitigate this problem.
The bench has directed federal and provincial governments to submit comprehensive reports on their anti-pollution initiatives. Following a request from the Additional Attorney General, the hearing was postponed for three weeks, with the reports due by that time.
Justice Mandokhail expressed alarm over the visible effects of pollution, such as Punjab’s dense smog, and criticized the insufficient environmental protection measures in place.
