"\u003chtml xmlns:o=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office\"\r\nxmlns:w=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word\"\r\nxmlns:st1=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\"\r\nxmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40\"\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003chead\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta http-equiv=Content-Type content=\"text/html; charset=windows-1252\"\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta name=ProgId content=Word.Document\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta name=Generator content=\"Microsoft Word 11\"\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta name=Originator content=\"Microsoft Word 11\"\u003e\r\n\u003clink rel=File-List href=\"2012J19_files/filelist.xml\"\u003e\r\n\u003ctitle\u003ePOWERS UNDER ORDER VII, RULE 11, C\u003c/title\u003e\r\n\u003co:SmartTagType namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\"\r\n name=\"PlaceType\"/\u003e\r\n\u003co:SmartTagType namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\"\r\n name=\"PlaceName\"/\u003e\r\n\u003co:SmartTagType namespaceuri=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\"\r\n 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Region\u003c/span\u003e\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003eBy\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003eDr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026quot;\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003eA. \u003cu\u003eThe SAARC\r\nRegion\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe SAARC Region, comprising the\r\nfounder countries Sri Lanka, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and\r\nBangladesh and with \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAfghnistan\u003c/span\u003e joining it in 2005, is\r\nrenowned for its spectacular natural beauty and splendor and the richness of\r\nits biological wealth. It is home to 1.6 billion people constituting about a\r\nquarter of the total global population. Its political systems have ranged from\r\nancient\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e_________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eA\r\npaper presented at the South Asia Conference on Environmental Justice organized\r\nby the Supreme Court of Pakistan, on 24-25 March 2012, at \u003c/span\u003e\u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBhurban\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/st1:City\u003e, \u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e. The author, gratefully,\r\nacknowledges the research assistance \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eof Ms. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eMaham\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eNaqshband\u003c/span\u003e in the\r\npreparation of this article.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eB.A.\r\n(Punjab), LL.B. (Punjab), LL.M. (Yale), S.J.D. (Harvard), \u003c/span\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0027\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eSenior Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan, Senior\r\nPartner, \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e\r\n(Advocates), Lahore, and President, Pakistan Environmental Law Association.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003emonarchies\u003c/span\u003e\r\nin \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eNepal\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e and \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBhutan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nup to recently to nascent \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eWestminister\u003c/span\u003e democracies\r\nwhich have bloomed and fully blossomed in some countries of the region and in\r\nothers have survived repeated challenges by military dictatorships. Most of the\r\nregion was colonized-by \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eGreat\r\n  Britain\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e until the liberation and\r\nindependence of these countries in the last over six (6) decades.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eBeyond the above\r\ncommonality of history, the region is home to:-\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(1) The world\u0027s\r\nmost spectacular mountainous region and the highest peak, Mount Everest, in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eNepal\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\r\nThe Hindu \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eKush\u003c/span\u003e Himalayan range, the \u0026quot;roof top of\r\nthe world\u0026quot; or the \u0026quot;third pole\u0026quot;, is one of the largest\r\nstorehouses of freshwater in the world; its mountains are the source of major\r\nriver systems, Ganges and \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBrahmaputra\u003c/span\u003e (Nepal, India\r\nand Bangladesh) and Indus (Pakistan), that serve nearly a billion people in\r\nSouth Asia.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(2) Two (2) of\r\nthe seven (7) largest mangrove eco-systems in the world in the \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eSundarbans\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\r\nand \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e) and the\r\nIndus (\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(3) \u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003efreshwater\u003c/span\u003e blind dolphins in the Indus (\u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e) and the Ganges river systems (\u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e and \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e),\r\nthe majestic \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eBengal\u003c/st1:place\u003e tiger, the elusive snow\r\nleopard, and the \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003emarcopolo\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(4) Expansive\r\ndesert regions in Rajasthan (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e),\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eCholistan\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eTharparkar\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(5) Richly\r\nforested areas (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBhutan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, 60%)\r\nand countries where the forest cover is under immense pressure (\u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\n4%).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(6) Important\r\nwetlands providing wintering home to the migratory birds from Europe and\r\nCentral Asia at \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBharatpur\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e),\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHaleji\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eKeenjhar\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe richness of the SAARC\r\nenvironmental landscape is dominated by several common challenges to the\r\nregion. These include poverty, deforestation, \u003cspan class=GramE\u003edesertification\u003c/span\u003e,\r\nchallenges of climate change, unprecedented glacial melts, and environmental\r\ndegradation. But what makes a dismal outlook for the future is not the enormity\r\nof these challenges but the lack of political will, resources and capacity in\r\nthe region to deal with these issues.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe South Asia Environmental Outlook\r\n(2009) highlights\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e:---\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/st1:place\u003e occupies about 5 per cent of the world\u0027s land\r\nmass, but is home to about 20 per cent of the world\u0027s population. This is\r\nexpected to rise to about 25 per cent by 2025. Three-quarters of \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s population lives in rural areas, with\r\none-third living in extreme poverty (on less than a dollar a day). Their\r\nwell-being is further compromised by indoor air pollution, which is a severe\r\nhealth hazard. ... \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/st1:place\u003e is very\r\nvulnerable to climate change. Impacts of climate change have been observed in\r\nthe form of glacier retreat in the Himalayan region, where the approximately\r\n15.000 glaciers will likely shrink from the present total area of 500,000 km\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nto 100,000 km\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e by 2035. These glaciers form a unique reservoir,\r\nwhich supports perennial rivers such as the Indus, Ganges and \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eBrahmaputra\u003c/span\u003e, which, in turn, are the lifeline of millions\r\nof people in South Asian countries (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e,\r\n\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBhutan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, \u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eNepal\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e,\r\nand \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003eB. \u003cu\u003ePrioritization of\r\nEnvironment in the Region\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027text-decoration:\r\n none\u0027\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eResponding to these challenges,\r\nSAARC has \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eprioritised\u003c/span\u003e environmental protection as one\r\nof the sixteen (16) stated areas of regional cooperation.\u003csup\u003e31\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eExperience has shown that\r\ncountries that make a commitment to environmental protection in their national\r\nConstitutions facilitate an appropriate orientation of their national policies.\r\nThe SAARC Region has been particularly fortunate in this respect.\u003csup\u003e32\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003eThe\u003c/span\u003e environmental awakening at the international level by\r\nthe Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, 1972, has eloquently echoed\r\nin the new Constitutions adopted after 1972 or in the post 1972 amendments to\r\nthe Constitutions in the region.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eA 2011 amendment to the\r\nConstitution in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0026quot;\r\nproclaims:-\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003eProtection and improvement of\r\nenvironment and biodiversity\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e18A.\u003c/b\u003e The State shall \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eendeavour\u003c/span\u003e to protect and improve the environment and to\r\npreserve and safeguard the natural\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e____________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e31. \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eFor\u003c/span\u003e a list of all\r\nsixteen (16) areas of regional cooperation with respect to the SAARC\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e          \u003c/span\u003eRegion.\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:\r\n1\u0027\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003esee\u003c/span\u003e:\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e            \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.55pt\u0027\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.saarc/\"\u003ehttp://www.saarc\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:-.25pt\u0027\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.9pt\u0027\u003esec.or\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n.9pt\u0027\u003e\u0026gt;\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003er/areaofcooperation/cat-detail.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:0pt\u0027\u003ep\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eh\u003c/span\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:0pt\u0027\u003ep\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e?cat\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e id=54\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e32.\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eSee, generally, Iona \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eRazzaque\u003c/span\u003e.\r\n\u0026quot;Public Interest Environmental Litigation in \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e,\r\n\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e and \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0026quot;\r\n(\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eKluwer\u003c/span\u003e Law International, 2004) which provides a\r\nseminal regional over-view of this subject.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.75pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.75pt\u0027\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e. The Constitution of the People\u0027s\r\nRepublic of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\n(1972) is available at: \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003ehttp://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd\r\n/\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003epdf\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003epart.php\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e?id\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\r\n=367\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003eresources\u003c/span\u003e,\r\nbio-diversity, wetlands, forests and wild life for the present and future\r\ncitizens.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe judiciary in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nhas provided activist relief to environmental causes. Even prior to this\r\nConstitutional amendment, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh had, following\r\nsimilar results in India and Pakistan, ruled, in \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eFarooque\u003c/span\u003e\r\nv. Bangladesh, that the right to a clean environment is included in the right\r\nto life guaranteed in the Constitution of Bangladesh:-\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eArticles 31 and\r\n32 of our Constitution protect right to life as a fundamental right. It\r\nencompasses within its ambit, the protection and preservation of environment,\r\necological balance free from pollution of air and water and sanitation, without\r\nwhich life can hardly be enjoyed. An act or omission contrary thereto will be \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eviolative\u003c/span\u003e of the said right to life.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eArticle 5 of the 2008\r\nConstitution of Bhutan\u0026quot; raises the duty to protect the environment to an\r\nobligation of trust for the benefit of present and future generation:-\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eEvery Bhutanese\r\nis a trustee of the Kingdom\u0027s natural resources and environment for the benefit\r\nof the present and future generations and it is the fundamental duty of every\r\ncitizen to contribute to the protection of the natural environment,\r\nconservation of the rich biodiversity of Bhutan and prevention of all forms of\r\necological degradation including noise, visual and physical pollution through\r\nthe adoption and support of environment friendly practices.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe Royal Government shall:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(\u003cspan class=GramE\u003ea\u003c/span\u003e) Protect,\r\nconserve and improve the pristine environment and safeguard the biodiversity of\r\nthe country;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(b) Prevent pollution and\r\necological degradation;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(c) Secure ecologically balanced\r\nsustainable development while promoting justifiable economic and social\r\ndevelopment; and\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(d) Ensure a safe and healthy\r\nenvironment. The Constitution of Bhutan goes further: it mandates that a\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e_______________________________\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e34. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e1997 B.L.D. 17, 33.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e35. The\r\nConstitution of the .Kingdom of \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBhutan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\r\n(2008) is available at: \u003ca href=\"http://www.constitution.bt/\"\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003ehttp://www.constitution.bt/\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e minimum of\r\n60% of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBhutan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s\r\ntotal land shall be maintained under forest cover for all time (Article 5(3)).\r\nNo better recognition of the challenge of deforestation and a\u0027 more determined\r\neffort to meet it exists among the other Constitutions in the SAARC Region.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe Constitution of the \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eMaldives\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\n(2008)\u003csup\u003e36\u003c/sup\u003e places a duty in respect of the environment:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe State has a\r\nfundamental duty to protect and preserve the natural environment, biodiversity,\r\n\u0027resources and beauty of the country for the benefit of present and future\r\ngenerations. The State shall undertake and promote desirable economic and\r\nsocial goals through ecologically balanced sustainable development and shall\r\ntake measures necessary to foster conservation, prevent pollution, the\r\nextinction of any species and ecological degradation from any such goals\r\n(Article 22).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe Constitution of Afghanistan\r\n(2004)\u003csup\u003e37\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ehas\u003c/span\u003e a more general commitment:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe State shall\r\nbe obligated to adopt necessary measures to protect and improve forests as well\r\nas the living environment (Article 15).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eArticle 16 of the Interim\r\nConstitution of Nepal (2007)3\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eprovides\u003c/span\u003e for\r\nthe rights regarding environment and health in the following terms:-\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(1) Every person has the right to\r\nlive in a clean environment.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(2) Every citizen shall have the\r\nright to basic health services free of cost from the State as provided for in\r\nthe law.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe Indian Constitution (1950)\u003csup\u003e39\u003c/sup\u003e,\r\nthrough an amendment in 1976, provides\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e:\u0026#8209;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e48A.\u003c/b\u003e The State shall \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eendeavour\u003c/span\u003e to protect and improve the\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e_______________________________\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e36\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e        \u003c/span\u003eA copy of the Constitution of the \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:PlaceType w:st=\"on\"\u003eRepublic\u003c/st1:PlaceType\u003e of \u003cst1:PlaceName\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eMaldives\u003c/st1:PlaceName\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e (2008) be obtained at:\r\nhttp://www.maldivesinfo.gov.mv/home/upload/downlo\u003csup\u003eads/\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eCompilation.pdf\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e37. The\r\nConstitution of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eAfghanistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\n(2004) is available at: \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.05pt\u0027\u003ehttp://www.afghanembassy.\r\n\u003cspan class=GramE\u003ecorn\u003c/span\u003e. \u003cspan class=GramE\u003epl/\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003ecros/uploads%\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eimages\u003c/span\u003e/ Constitution/The%20 \u003c/span\u003eConstitution. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003epdf\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e38\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e        \u003c/span\u003eThe\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eInterim\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eConstitution\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eof\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e         \u003c/span\u003e\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eNepal\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:\r\n1\u0027\u003e   \u003c/span\u003e(2007)\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eis\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e          \u003c/span\u003eavailable\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:\r\n1\u0027\u003e           \u003c/span\u003eat: http://www.nic.gov.np/downloadlinterim-Constitution\u003csup\u003e.pdf\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e39\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e        \u003c/span\u003eThe Amended Constitution of \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\n(1950) may be accessed online at: http://india.gov.in/govt/constitutions \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eindia.php\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e?id\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003csup\u003e=\u003c/sup\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003eenvironment\u003c/span\u003e and to safeguard the forests and wild life of\r\nthe country.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eArticle 51A of\r\nthe Indian Constitution provides:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e51A. Fundamental\r\nDuties - it shall be the duty of every citizen of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(g) \u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003eto\u003c/span\u003e protect and improve the natural environment including forests,\r\nlakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThese have been the basis of some\r\nof the innovative judicial activism and public interest litigation in\r\nenvironmental causes in the region\u003csup\u003e40\u003c/sup\u003e. The scale and sophistication\r\nof Indian environmental case-law brought through public interest litigation is\r\ntruly impressive and in this respect it remains the most exciting of the South\r\nAsian jurisdictions with robust case law on the public trust doctrine,\u003csup\u003e41\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nthe precautionary principle and polluter pays principle\u003csup\u003e42\u003c/sup\u003e,\r\nintergenerational equity4\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e and incorporation of international\r\ntreaties in domestic law.\u003csup\u003e44\u003c/sup\u003e Undoubtedly, a constitutional right to\r\nprotect the environment certainly helped in the development of this field but\r\nit must be added that the liberal regime introduced by public interest\r\nlitigation in India influenced the final outcomes in these cases:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe Sri Lankan\r\nConstitution (1978)\u003csup\u003e45\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eprovides\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe State shall\r\nprotect, preserve and improve the environment for the benefit of the community.\r\n\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e(Article 27 (14)).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e40. See,\r\ngenerally, \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eJona\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eRazzauqe\u003c/span\u003e,\r\nsupra note 2; See also, Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAzim\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eAzfar\u003c/span\u003e \u0026quot;Securing\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e            \u003c/span\u003eEnvironmental\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e   \u003c/span\u003eRights\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e   \u003c/span\u003eThrough\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e            \u003c/span\u003ePublic Interest\u003cbr\u003e\r\nLitigation in South Asia\u0026quot; (2004) 22 Virginia Environmental Law Journal\r\n215.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e41. M. C. Mehta\r\nv. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eKama\u003c/span\u003e] \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eNath\u003c/span\u003e (1997) 1\r\nS.C.C. 388, also published in the UNEP/UNDP Joint Project \u0026quot;Compendium of\r\nJudicial Decisions on Matters Related to Environment- National Decisions\u0026quot;\r\n(1998), at p. 259.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e42. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eVellore\u003c/span\u003e Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India A.I.R.\r\n1996 S.C. 2715; and also see Indian Council for \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eEnviro\u003c/span\u003e-Legal\r\nAction v. Union of India, 1996 3 SCC 212, also available at UNEP/UNP Joint\r\nProject, supra n.11, at p.394.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e43. State of \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:State w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHimachal\u003c/span\u003e Pradesh\u003c/st1:State\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nv. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eGanesh\u003c/span\u003e Wood Products, A.I.R. 1996 S.C. 149\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e44. People\r\nUnited for a Better Living in \u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eCalcutta\u003c/st1:City\u003e v. State\r\nof \u003cst1:State w:st=\"on\"\u003eWest Bengal\u003c/st1:State\u003e, A.I.R 1993 (\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:State\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eCal.\u003c/st1:State\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e) 215.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e45. The\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e            \u003c/span\u003eConstitution\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:\r\n1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eof\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e         \u003c/span\u003e\u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\n(1978) is available at: http://www.priu.gpv.lk/Cons/1978 Constitution\r\n/Introduction.htm\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eArticle 28\r\nprovides:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e28. Fundamental Duties.\u003c/b\u003e\r\nThe exercise and enjoyment of rights and freedoms is inseparable from the\r\nperformance of duties and obligations, and accordingly it is the duty of every\r\nperson in Sri Lanka\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(d) \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eto\u003c/span\u003e\r\npreserve and protect public property and to combat misuse and waste of public\r\nproperty...\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(f) \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eto\u003c/span\u003e\r\nprotect nature and conserve its riches.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe judiciary in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nhas also impressively provided activist relief in environmental causes. The \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eregion\u0027has\u003c/span\u003e resonated with the \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBulankulama\u003c/span\u003e\r\ncase\u003csup\u003e46\u003c/sup\u003e decided by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka as an important\r\nformulation of the public trust doctrine.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e has the weakest response\r\nto environmental challenges in its Constitution, 1973. There is no specific\r\nprovision on fundamental rights or principles of State policy in respect of the\r\nenvironment. But as the subsequent discussion will show, the Supreme Court of\r\nPakistan was not deterred by this handicap to intervene to protect\r\nenvironmental causes.\u003csup\u003e47\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eBeyond commitments in their\r\nConstitutions, most of the countries in the SAARC Region have also provided\r\nappropriate framework laws on the environment and several have set up\r\ninstitutions, seeking the enforcement of such laws through environment\r\nprotection agencies. \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e,\r\n\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, \u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, and \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eSri\r\n Lanka\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003csub\u003e,\u003c/sub\u003e have, particularly, developed integrated\r\nand robust framework laws: the Environment Protection Act, 1997 (\u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e), the Environment Protection Act 1986 (\u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e), the Bangladesh Environment Conservation\r\nAct, 1995, and the National Environmental Act, 1980 (\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e). Some countries in the\r\nregion are signatories to many Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Thus, in\r\nthe three decades since \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eStockholm\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\nthe SAARC countries have reached an impressive sophistication in their\r\nenvironment-related legal regimes.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e___________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e46.\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eBulankulama\u003c/span\u003e v. Ministry of Industrial Development (\u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eEppawala\u003c/span\u003e case) (2000) 3SLR 243 (SL) S.C. Application No.\r\n884/99 (F/R). \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eAlso published in South Asian Environmental\r\nReporter, Vol. 7(2) June 2000.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e47. See, Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e v. WAPDA: Ten Years Later\u0026quot;, PLD 2005 Journal 48,\r\nalso published in International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter of the\r\nAmerican Bar Association\u0027s Section on Environment, Energy and Resources 13-19\r\n(May 2005).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eBut while the institutional,\r\nlegal and regulatory framework in each of these countries may be satisfactory,\r\nthe implementation of environmental laws and policies has remained an elusive\r\ndream. As noted by me elsewhere:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eBut it requires\r\nmore than writing laws and signing treaties to promote sustainable development.\r\nA provision in law about environmental impact assessment is of no use if the\r\ncountry does not have the professional and technical ability to conduct and\r\nevaluate such assessments. Setting environmental quality standards for\r\nindustrial emissions and effluents can make a difference only if the EPA\u0027s have\r\nthe laboratories and equipment and technical administrators to police such\r\nstandards. A strong cadre of environmental lawyers is needed to draft national\r\nlaws for implementing international conventions and otherwise to enforce\r\nenvironmental protection laws.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eBut, perhaps, the most salutary\r\ncommon feature in the region is judicial activism that has pioneered\r\nenvironmental protection in the most innovative forms.\u003csup\u003e49\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003eThe\u003c/span\u003e superior courts of \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e,\r\n\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, \u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, and \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e have, particularly,\r\nimpacted effectively on environmental regimes in those countries.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e \u003c/span\u003eAnother blessing for the SAARC Region has been\r\nthe visionary leadership of certain individuals. While Justices P.N. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eBhagwati\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003e)_\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSaleem\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAkhtar\u003c/span\u003e\r\n(\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e) led the courts in\r\ntheir countries to pioneer environmental reform in precedent-setting decisions,\r\nDr. M.S. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSwaminathan\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e)\r\nand \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSyed\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBabar\u003c/span\u003e Ali (\u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e)\r\nhave provided leadership to IUCN and WWF at the international level. And, \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eLalanath\u003c/span\u003e De Silva (\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e),\r\nDr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMohiuddin\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eFarooque\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eRizwana\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHasan\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e), and Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSalim\u003c/span\u003e\r\nAli, M. C. Mehta, and Anil \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAgarwal\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e) inspired the efforts of\r\ncivil society toward environmental justice. The SAARC Region has been the\r\nricher for the durable imprint of the efforts of each of \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ethese\u003c/span\u003e\r\nindividuals.\u003csup\u003e50\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e48.\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eSee\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e,\r\n\u0026quot;Environment and Sustainable Development: A \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eThird\r\n World\u003c/st1:place\u003e Perspective\u0026quot;, 31 \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eEnvtl\u003c/span\u003e. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003ePol\u0027y\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e \u0026amp; L.\r\n36, at p.40 (2001).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e49. See, generally,\r\nDr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;Environmental\r\nRights as part of Fundamental Rights: The Leadership of the Judiciary in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0026quot;,\r\nin A. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003ePostiglione\u003c/span\u003e (ed.), \u0026quot;The Role of the\r\nJudiciary in the Implementation and Enforcement of Environment Law\u0026quot;,\r\n135-159 (\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBruylant\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBruxelles\u003c/span\u003e\r\n2008). \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eAlso published in \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003ePt.J\u003c/span\u003e 2003\r\n(Magazine), at 209-231.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e50. For the\r\nauthor\u0027s tribute to Justices P. N. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBhagwati\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eSaleem\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAkhtar\u003c/span\u003e and Dr. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eMohiuddin\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eFarooque\u003c/span\u003e at the UNEP\r\nGlobal Judges Symposium in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eJohannesburg\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\n2002, see \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eDi\u003c/span\u003e. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;Judicial\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e        \u003c/span\u003eActivism\r\n\u003cspan class=GramE\u003eTowards\u003c/span\u003e Sustainable\u003cbr\u003e\r\nDevelopment in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0026quot; PLJ 2003 \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eMag\u003c/span\u003e. 39-41.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eLooking ahead, the challenge for\r\nthe SAARC Region in the coming years is to seek to improve the implementation\r\nof environmental laws and policies. Each country in the region will find its\r\nown route to this goal. This paper will present \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s quest for environmental\r\nprotection, beginning in the 1970s, and show where it went right and where it\r\nwent wrong in the last four (4) decades. The purpose is to provide some lessons\r\nwhich other countries in the SAARC Region might find useful.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003eC. Emerging Environmental\r\nChallenges and \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\n\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e1. Legal and Regulatory\r\nFramework\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eI have had the privilege of being\r\nassociated with most national developments in the field of environment as they\r\nhave unfolded over the years. I have been associated with the drafting of the\r\nfirst legislation in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\nthe Pakistan Environment Protection Ordinance, 1983, and with the subsequent\r\nPakistan Environment Protection Act, 1997. These legislations established a\r\nhigh-powered Pakistan Environment Protection Council, headed by the\r\nPresident/Prime Minister, to establish national policies in the field of\r\nenvironment. They also established \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eimplementational\u003c/span\u003e\r\narms of the Council in the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA) at the\r\nfederal level, and Environment Protection Agencies (EPA) in the provinces. The\r\nrequirement of Environmental Impact Assessment \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n.1pt\u0027\u003ewas \u003c/span\u003ealso pioneered in the 1983 Ordinance. The 1997 Act expanded\r\nthe provisions of the 1983 Ordinance to provide for Initial Environmental\r\nExamination and to set up Environmental Tribunals. The Pakistan Environmental\r\nProtection Council, mandated to do so, adopted \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003ethe.National\u003c/span\u003e\r\nEnvironmental Quality Standards as \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003ewell \u003c/span\u003eas\r\nRules and Regulations in various specific fields such as the Hospital Waste\r\nManagement Rules, 2005, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nRio-safety Rules, 2005, and the Review of IEE/EIA Regulations, 2001. All these\r\nhave been supplemented by the direction-setting National Conservation Strategy\r\nand its supporting Provincial Conservation Strategies.\u003csup\u003e51\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThus, by now, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e has a comprehensive\r\nframework environmental law in the 1997 Act which (a) included provisions on\r\nfederal and provincial \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eEPAs\u003c/span\u003e, (b) provided for\r\nEnvironmental Tribunals, (c) strengthened Environmental Impact\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e__________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e51.\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eFor an overview of Pakistan\u0027s legal and regulatory\r\nframework on the environment see, generally, \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eJawad\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e \u0026quot;Chapter on Pakistan\u0026quot; in \u0026quot;The Role of\r\nthe Judiciary in Environmental Governance: Comparative Perspectives\u0026quot;, p.\r\n381-409 (\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eKluwer\u003c/span\u003e Law International, 2009). Dr. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, From Rio 1992 to\r\nJohannesburg 2002: A\u0027 Case Study of \u003c/span\u003eImplementing Sustainable Development\r\nin \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, (2002) 6 \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eSingapore\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nJournal \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eof International and Comparative Law\r\n683-722\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003erequirements\u003c/span\u003e,\r\n(d) enabled the formulation of National Environmental Quality Standards, and\r\n(e) facilitated Rules and Regulations \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003ein \u003c/span\u003emany\r\nfields. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSectoral\u003c/span\u003e laws including in forestry\u003csup\u003e52\u003c/sup\u003e,\r\nmining\u003csup\u003e53\u003c/sup\u003e, wildlife\u0026quot; and fisheries\u0026quot; supplement this basic\r\nframework. \u0027\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eI\u003csup\u003er\u003c/sup\u003ehis\u003c/span\u003e is all very impressive\r\non paper but, on the ground, not much has changed because there is very poor\r\nimplementation of the laws and policies.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eAt the Pakistan\r\nDevelopment Forum, 2006, I highlighted: \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe result, to\r\ngeneralize, is that we have a framework environmental protection legislation\r\nthat is not enforced; we have a high-powered National Environmental Protection\r\nCouncil that does not meet; we have a Federal Pakistan Environmental Protection\r\nAgency, supported by Provincial Environmental Protection Agencies, all of whom\r\ndo not \u0027 act; we have environment - specific Environmental Tribunals that are\r\nnot resourced; and \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003ewe \u003c/span\u003ehave National\r\nEnvironmental Quality Standards that are not implemented.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThis position has suffered a\r\nfurther setback \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eunder .\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ethe\u003c/span\u003e\r\n18th Amendment to the Constitution adopted in 2010.\u003csup\u003e57\u003c/sup\u003e Under the 18th\r\nAmendment, the subject of environment has been moved to the exclusive domain of\r\nthe provinces. The result is that the federal objectives and planning will\r\nyield to provincial legislation and initiatives in the future. What adds to the\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eehallenge\u003c/span\u003e of this decision is that the provinces have\r\nnot\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e___________________________________\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e52. \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n.3pt\u0027\u003eSee, \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eThe\u003c/span\u003e Forests Act, 1927 available at:\r\nhttp://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/40.html\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e53.\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eSee, The\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e     \u003c/span\u003eMines\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e   \u003c/span\u003eAct\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003e1923\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e    \u003c/span\u003eavailable\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e           \u003c/span\u003eat:\r\n\u0027http\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e:/\u003c/span\u003e/faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/pak64462.pdf\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e54. \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n.3pt\u0027\u003eSee, The Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and\r\nManagement) Ordinance, 1979 available at: http://www.na.gov.pk/\r\nuploads/documents/1302130691 430.pdf and also see, generally, Provincial\r\nWildlife Protection Ordinances: Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation,\r\nConservation and Management) Act 1974 (PLD 1974 Provincial Statutes 129, \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eSindh\u003c/span\u003e Wildlife (Amendment) Act 1972 (PLD 1972 Provincial\r\nStatutes 308), \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBalochistan\u003c/span\u003e Wildlife Protection Act,\r\n1974 (PLD 1975 Provincial Statutes 28), and the N.W.F.P. Wildlife (Protection,\r\nPreservation, Conservation and Management), 1975 (PLD 1975 Provincial Statutes\r\n186\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e55. \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n.3pt\u0027\u003eSee, \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eThe\u003c/span\u003e West Pakistan Fisheries Ordinance, 1961\r\navailable in PLD 1962 Central \u0026amp; Provincial Statutes 134.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e56. Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;The Role of the Judiciary and Judicial\r\nCommissions on Sustainable Development Issues in \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u0026quot;,\r\n2006 All \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nLegal Decisions, Journal, 45, at 49.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n.3pt\u0027\u003e See also a paper on the same topic presented at the International\r\nJudicial Conference organized by the Supreme Court of Pakistan during its\r\nGolden Jubilee Celebrations 11-14 August 2006, available at: http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/ijc/Articles/9/7.pdf.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e57\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:\r\n1\u0027\u003e        \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003ePLD 2010 Federal Statutes 1.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003eyet\u003c/span\u003e\r\ndeveloped the ability over the years to effectively manage environmental\r\nissues.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e2. Ineffective Implementation\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe ineffective implementation in\r\n\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e has mostly come\r\nabout because \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\ndid not invest in developing the capacity to administer and implement\r\nenvironmental laws and policies. The \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eEPAs\u003c/span\u003e at the\r\nfederal and the provincial levels were all ignored in budgetary allocations and\r\nno significant training and development of professional cadres of environmental\r\nmanagers, lawyers, and specialists took place. No appropriate investment in\r\nlaboratories and monitoring evaluation of environmental data was developed.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eAs a result of the under-\u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eresourcing\u003c/span\u003e of the \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eEPAs\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nyet does not have the managerial, professional, and technical capability to support\r\nits environmental laws and policies. No commitment was made toward public\r\neducation or to the development of environmental syllabi in educational\r\ninstitutions and the result is that environmental management has not been\r\nmainstreamed in our national policies.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e3. Environmental Jurisprudence\r\nof \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eInspite\u003c/span\u003e\r\nof the above handicaps, the superior judiciary of \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\r\nhas developed a special role in protecting the environment and this \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003einspite\u003c/span\u003e of the fact that \u003csup\u003e\u0026quot;\u003c/sup\u003eenvironment\u0026quot;\r\nis not included in the Constitution amongst the fundamental rights of the\r\ncitizens of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\r\nIn the landmark \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e\r\ncase\u003csup\u003e58\u003c/sup\u003e, the Supreme Court of Pakistan pioneered in holding that the\r\nright to environment is included in the right to life and the right to dignity\r\nguaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan. This was a bold initiative by the\r\nSupreme Court, helped in considerable measure by similar initiatives by the\r\njudiciary in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e has been\r\nfollowed in several other cases and it is now settled law in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e that the judiciary will\r\nmove to prevent actions which may harm the environment.\u003csup\u003e59\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003eFor instance,\r\nin General Secretary Salt Miners \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eLabour\u003c/span\u003e Union (CBA) \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eKhewra\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eJhelum\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nv.\u003c/span\u003e The Director,\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e   \u003c/span\u003eIndustries and\r\nMineral Development, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003ePunjab\u003c/st1:place\u003e, Lahore\u003csup\u003e60\u003c/sup\u003e,\r\nthe Supreme Court, relying on \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e___________________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e58. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e1994 PLD 693 Supreme Court, also published in\r\nUNEP/UNDP Joint Project\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\nsupra note 11, at p. 323\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e59. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eSee, \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e v. WAPDA: Ten Years Later\u0026quot; supra note 17.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e60. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e1994 SCMR 2061, also see UNEP/UNDP Joint Project, \u003c/span\u003esupra\r\n\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003enote 11, at\u003cbr\u003e\r\np.282.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e,\r\nand reiterating its openness to procedural constraints in public interest\r\nlitigation cases, stated that \u0026quot;The right to have unpolluted water is the\r\nright of every person wherever he lives\u0026quot;.\u003csup\u003e61\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe High Courts of Pakistan also\r\ncaught onto the momentum provided by the Supreme Court in the \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e case. In Pakistan\r\nChest Foundation v. Government of Pakistan\u003csup\u003e62\u003c/sup\u003e, the petitioners filed\r\na writ petition for the purposes of stopping tobacco advertisements from being.\r\n\u003cspan class=GramE\u003ebroadcasted\u003c/span\u003e on Pakistani television. The Lahore High\r\nCourt, while accepting the writ petition, brought the case within the\r\n\u0026quot;right to life\u0026quot; principle enunciated in \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eApplying the\r\nprinciple of law enunciated in \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eZia\u0027s\u003c/span\u003e case (supra) to the facts and circumstances of the\r\npresent case, the citizens of this country and particularly the younger\r\ngeneration are entitled to protection of law from being exposed to the hazards\r\nof cigarette smoking, by virtue of the command contained in Article 4(2)(a) of\r\nthe Constitution.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eSimilarly, in \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eRana\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eIshaque\u003c/span\u003e v. DG, EPA\u0026quot;, the Lahore High Court\r\nrestrained one hundred and twenty one (121) industrial units of Punjab,\r\nexcluding those that had already installed treatment plants, from discharging\r\neffluents into drains and canals on a petition stating that these were being\r\ndrained without treatments. In \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAnjum\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eIrfan\u003c/span\u003e v. LDA\u003csup\u003e65\u003c/sup\u003e, the Lahore High Court, citing \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e, addressed the setting\r\nof air and noise pollution standards under the Pakistan Environment Protection\r\nAct, 1997 and suggested that the new industries must be compelled to install\r\ndevices used for checking and controlling pollution.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe reliance on \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e has been extended to\r\nissues beyond the environment. In \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBenazir\u003c/span\u003e Bhutto v.\r\nPresident of Pakistan, the political abuse of wire-tapping was described as an\r\nassault on the \u0026quot;right to life\u0026quot; provision in the Constitution:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eWith this [\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e]-definition of the word `life\u0027, one would not\r\ndeter to state that telephone-tapping and eaves-dropping mar the protection\r\nafforded and guaranteed to the right to life.\u003csup\u003e67\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e____________________________________\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e61. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e1994 SCMR 2061, also see UNEP/UNDP Joint Project,\r\nsupra note 11, at \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ep.282.,\u003c/span\u003e at 2070.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e62. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e1997 CLC 1379 [\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e].\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e63. 1997 CLC 1425.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e64. Writ Petition No. 671 of 1995 before the \u003cst1:City\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e High Court, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e65. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eWrit\r\nPetition No. 25084 of 1997 before the \u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\r\nHigh Court, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\r\n\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e66. PLD 1998 Supreme \u003c/span\u003eNun \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e388.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e67\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e. \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:State w:st=\"on\"\u003eId.\u003c/st1:State\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nat 619.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe impetus of \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e has further extended\r\nto the invocation of the doctrine of public trust. In \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSindh\u003c/span\u003e\r\nInstitute of Urology and Transplantation v. Nestle \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMilkpak\u003c/span\u003e\r\nLimited\u0027, the establishment of a water-bottling plant that used the common\r\naquifer was challenged on the grounds that such use of natural resources was a violation\r\nof the doctrine of public trust. In delivering its judgment, the \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eSindh\u003c/span\u003e High Court noted:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eIt is\r\nwell-settled that natural resources like air, sea, waters, and forests are like\r\nPublic Trust. The said resources being a gift of nature, they should be made\r\nfreely available to everyone irrespective of the status. \u0026quot;Doctrine of\r\nPublic Trust\u0026quot; as developed during the days of ancient \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eRoman\r\n Empire\u003c/st1:place\u003e, enjoins upon the Government to protect the resources for\r\nthe enjoyment of the general public rather than to permit their use for private\r\nownership or commercial purposes. Even under the Islamic law certain water\r\nresources are to be protected from misuse and over exploitation.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe doctrine of public trust was\r\nagain the subject of judicial scrutiny in the case of Muhammad \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eTariq\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAbbassi\u003c/span\u003e v. \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eDefence\u003c/span\u003e Housing Authority\u003csup\u003e70\u003c/sup\u003e. This case concerned\r\nthe development of beach-front properties in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eKarachi\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e wherein it was contended that the\r\ndevelopment would restrict the access of the public to the public beach,\r\nthereby violating Fundamental Rights guaranteed under the Constitution. The\r\nCourt recognized that the right of free access of the public-at-large to parks,\r\nand similar public spaces was a Fundamental Right guaranteed under Article 9 of\r\nthe Constitution and extended this right to the beach at \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eKarachi\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e and other coastal areas.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eMost recently, \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003ein \u003c/span\u003ethe Lahore Canal Bank Road case\u0026quot;, in\r\nwhich I was appointed as the Mediator, the Supreme Court relied on the \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e case as providing the\r\n\u0026quot;\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003egrundnorm\u003c/span\u003e in extending the meaning of Fundamental\r\nRight of \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eLifee\u003c/span\u003e\u0026quot;. The decision of the Supreme\r\nCourt was\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e________________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e68. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e2005 CLC 424 [\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eKarachi\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e].\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e69. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e2005 CLC 440.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e70.\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e2007 CLC 1358 [\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eKarachi\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e]\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e \u003c/span\u003e.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e71. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSuo\u003c/span\u003e\u0027 \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eMoto\u003c/span\u003e Case No. 25 of 2009 (Cutting of Trees for Canal\r\nWidening Project \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e),\r\n2011 SCMR 1743. A \u003c/span\u003ecopy \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eof the judgment\r\nmay also be obtained online at: http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/web/user\r\nfiles/File/ SMCN625of2009.pdf\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e72. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eSee, Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e and Mr. _Ahmad \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eRafay\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eAlam\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;Public Trust Doctrine and Environmental Issues\r\nbefore the Supreme Court of Pakistan\u0026quot; PLJ 2012 (\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMag\u003c/span\u003e.)\r\n44.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003eanchored\u003c/span\u003e\r\non the understanding of the doctrine of public trust. Issue (vii) framed by the\r\nSupreme Court read as under:-\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003eWhether the project entailing the widening of the road on both\r\nsides of the Canal, which would have the effect of reducing the area of green\r\nbelt, is \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eviolative\u003c/span\u003e of the Doctrine of Public Trust\r\n(Paragraph 11).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe Supreme Court, in its\r\njudgment, following a precedent-setting postulation of the public trust\r\ndoctrine, held:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe case in\r\nhand, if examined, in the light of the Doctrine of Public Trust as explained by\r\nthe academics and construed by the Courts including the Pakistan Supreme Court\r\nleads to an inescapable conclusion that the green belt around both sides of the\r\nCanal is a Public Trust resource; that it cannot be converted into private use\r\nor any other use other than a public purpose; that widening of the road as\r\nproposed is a public purpose; that a minimum area is being affected and the\r\nremaining green belt/public park is much larger; that the same has been\r\nrecommended by the Mediation Committee to be declared as Heritage Park and the\r\nrecommendations of the said Committee have been accepted by the Province of\r\nPunjab in totality. In these circumstances, the Doctrine of Public Trust cannot\r\nbe said to have been compromised (Paragraph (35)).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e4. Role of Commissions\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eOne of the welcome decisions\r\ntaken by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e case was to establish a Commission for the review of\r\nscientific, \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003etechnical.and\u003c/span\u003e professional data submitted\r\nby the parties in the case. Thus, in the first case on the environment before\r\nit, the Supreme Court recognized the need to involve other disciplines for the\r\nsuccessful outcome in those cases. It is \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003ewell\r\n\u003c/span\u003eknown that many environmental issues \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003ecriss\u003c/span\u003e-cross\r\ninto other disciplines such \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eaS\u003c/span\u003e mining, engineering,\r\nmedicine, economics, health and public safety. It is not possible for judges\r\nwith specialized legal backgrounds to evaluate and make recommendations in\r\nthese complex areas. In \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e,\r\nthe Supreme Court pointed to a way forward by including the expert guidance of\r\nCommissions.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe precedent of the appointment\r\nof a Commission in \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e\r\nhas now resonated richly in the jurisprudence of our superior courts. The\r\nSupreme Court appointed a Commission in the Salt Mines case as well as in the\r\nrecent (2011) decision involving the widening of the \u003cst1:Street w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:address\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore Canal Bank Road\u003c/st1:address\u003e\u003c/st1:Street\u003e. In the Salt Mines\r\ncase, a Commission headed by me was appointed to visit the site of extensive\r\nmining activity and to recommend remedial measures.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eIn the \u003cst1:Street w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:address\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore Canal Bank Road\u003c/st1:address\u003e\u003c/st1:Street\u003e case, the Supreme\r\nCourt dealt with the challenge of the widening of the \u003cst1:Street w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:address\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore Canal Bank Road\u003c/st1:address\u003e\u003c/st1:Street\u003e which the green\r\nlobby opposed on the ground that it would involve the cutting of trees which\r\nhave been a part of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s\r\nheritage. The Government of Punjab desired the widening of the road because of\r\ntraffic and hospital needs. The Supreme Court, in appointing me as the Mediator\r\nin the dispute, enabled me to appoint a cross section of environmentalists,\r\nbotanists, traffic engineers, city planners, parliamentarians and Government\r\nofficials as part of a Committee to develop a consensus, approved by the\r\nSupreme Court, on a limited widening of the road. In acknowledging the value of\r\nCommissions, the Supreme Court stated:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eIn such cases\r\nthe Court may \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003en.ot\u003c/span\u003e have the requisite expertise to \u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003eadjudicate.\u003c/span\u003e This is why the Court seeks the assistance of\r\nexperts or experts\u0027 committee. The advantage of the experts\u0027 committees is that\r\nit enables the Court to receive technical expertise while the Judges are left\r\nto decide questions of law. Such \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ecommittees reduce the\r\nchances of judicial arbitrariness and adds\u003c/span\u003e legitimacy to the judgments\r\n(Paragraph 54).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eBut, as noted by\r\nme elsewhere:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e... \u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003ethe\u003c/span\u003e use of judicial commissions is by no means a panacea as\r\nthe technique can only work effectively where expert opinion is not divided and\r\nthere is a fair chance that a consensus can emerge amongst the diverse group of\r\nstakeholders. Even though the advent of public interest litigation and innovative\r\nprocedural pathways such as judicial commissions threaten to obliterate the\r\nlaw/policy divide, the successes of the new approach in \u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eIndia\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e and \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e have been welcomed by a\r\npublic that has long been used to an apathetic legislature and a weak executive.\r\nAs long as environmental protection remains a low priority item for the\r\npolitical establishment and the State machinery, courts in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e will increasingly be\r\ncalled upon to give practical significance to the fundamental rights guaranteed\r\nunder the Constitution. However, it should be borne in mind that the activism\r\nof the courts is not a substitute for proper policy making and implementation\r\nas judicial intervention is by its very nature reactive and hemmed in by the\r\nprocedural pathways that are peculiar to the legal process. The countries of \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/st1:place\u003e are still in the early stages of environmental\r\nconsciousness and although public awareness of environmental issues is\r\nimproving with each passing year, prioritizing environmental concerns in national\r\nplanning and steady implementation of laws and policies is of paramount\r\nimportance.\u003csup\u003e73\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe country\u0027s High Courts have\r\nalso adopted the practice of appointing a Commission to facilitate the\r\nresolution of contentious, divisive and adversarial proceedings. In fact, the\r\nfirst appointment of a Commission in the field of environment in the country in\r\na public interest environmental litigation was most probably by the Lahore High\r\nCourt in United Welfare Association, Lahore v. Lahore Development Authority\u003csup\u003e74\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nbefore Mr. Justice \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eKhalil-ur-Rahman\u003c/span\u003e Khan in which the\r\nintervention of the court was sought for getting certain asphalt plants removed\r\nfrom the petitioners\u0027 sites in Lahore on account of serious health hazards the\r\nplants were posing for the residents. Dr. Justice \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eNasim\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHasan\u003c/span\u003e Shah, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court\r\nof Pakistan, comments on this case:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe anxiety felt\r\nby the Court on hearing this complaint is manifest from the order it passed on\r\n15 October, 1991. Herein after noticing the contention of the petitioner it not\r\n\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003eonly \u003c/span\u003ecalled upon the Lahore\r\nDevelopment Authority to answer the allegations contained in the petition but\r\nalso requested a renowned environmentalist namely Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, Advocate to visit the area \u0026quot;to verify\r\nthe complaint made and then suggest to the Court the measures to be adopted\u003csup\u003e75\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eIn light of the above, I visited\r\nthe area and with scientific support from the Pakistan Council of Scientific\r\nand Industrial Research (PCSIR), recommended to the Lahore High Court that:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe continued\r\noperation of these plants is inconsistent with the rights of the adjoining\r\nresidential areas to a clean and healthy environment. The residents are\r\ncontinually exposed to the obnoxious fumes and the potential health hazards\r\nunleashed by these asphalt plants. These should be removed from the site and\r\nrelocated in areas where there is no danger to the environment. Even at the\r\nreallocated sites, the activities of the plants should be monitored with a view\r\nto minimize the impact of their environmental degradation.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eAs a result of this report, the\r\nDirector-General, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e__________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e73. See Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;The Role of the Judiciary and Judicial\r\nCommissions on Sustainable Development Issues in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0026quot;, supra No.26, at p.\r\n56-57.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e74. Writ Petition No. 9297 of 1991 before the \u003cst1:City\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e High Court, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cst1:Street\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:address w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e75. \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n  .3pt\u0027\u003eSee Justice Dr.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/st1:address\u003e\u003c/st1:Street\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eNasim\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHasan\u003c/span\u003e Shah, \u0026quot;Environment and the Role of the\r\nJudiciary\u0026quot;, PLD 1992 Journal 21, at 27.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003eDevelopment\r\nAuthority, passed orders for the shifting of the asphalt plants.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe Lahore High Court, similarly,\r\nestablished the Lahore Clean Air Commission in July 2003 to propose remedial\r\nmeasures for \u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u0027s deteriorating air quality\u003csup\u003e76\u003c/sup\u003e,\r\nalso chaired by myself and co-chaired by the Advocate General, \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003ePunjab\u003c/st1:place\u003e. This Commission included representatives from\r\nboth the private and public sectors. It set up sub-committees with respect to\r\n(1) clean fuel, (2) rickshaws, (3) public transport and (4) coordination with\r\nlocal councils. The Lahore Clean Air Commission finalized its Report on 21 May\r\n2005 with a developed consensus of all stakeholders including the manufacturers\r\nand users of public transport and rickshaws. These recommendations were filed\r\nin the Lahore High Court and in 2006, the Secretary, Transport, Government of\r\nPunjab, joined in supporting the recommendations of the Commission before the\r\nLahore High Court.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eAlso, in City District Government\r\nv. Muhammad Yousaf\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e,\u003csup\u003e77\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e a Division Bench of\r\nthe Lahore High Court comprising Justices \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eTassaduq\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eHussain\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eJillani\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eBashir\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMujahid\u003c/span\u003e, appointed the\r\nSolid Waste Management Commission to deal with solid waste disposal issues. The\r\nCourt also directed the Commission to advise on the optimal environmentally\r\nappropriate manner for the disposal of solid wastes in \u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\r\nas well as to recommend other sites for the disposal of solid wastes as per \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s requirements.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eIn addition to the\r\nCommissions/Mediation Committees appointed in the Supreme Court cases, I had\r\nthe privilege of being the Chair of both the Lahore Clean Air Commission and\r\nthe Lahore Solid Waste Management Commission appointed by the Lahore High Court\r\nand the earlier Lahore High Court Committee appointed in the United Welfare\r\ncase discussed above. I included in the Commissions, in each case, the\r\nrepresentatives from civil society organizations, universities, government\r\nofficials, parliamentarians and subject specialists. The basic approach that\r\nwas followed by all these Commissions was to provide science/technology-based\r\nsolutions that lay outside the expertise of the Courts. Apart from providing\r\nsuch guidance to the Court, the other limb of this approach was to highlight\r\nthe importance of a non-adversarial, public-private partnership model for\r\nhandling the most intractable civic problems.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe environmental jurisprudence\r\nof the superior courts of\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e__________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e76. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eSyed\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMansoor\u003c/span\u003e Ali Shah v. Government of Punjab, Writ\r\nPetition No. 6927 of 1997 filed before the Lahore High Court, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eLahore\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e77. I.C.A No. 798/2002 filed\r\nbefore the Lahore High Court.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e has been immeasurably\r\nenriched by the specialist inputs of the Commissions.\u0026quot;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e5. Other Environmental Allies\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eAs one who started the advocacy\r\nof environmental causes in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\nI acknowledge the important support by the judiciary, particularly the Supreme\r\nCourt of Pakistan. I have looked to other allies in the support of this work.\r\nThe media has been equally responsive and many successes of environmental cases\r\nin the courts may be attributed to the public opinion that the media may have\r\ncreated in support of such causes.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe support of civil society\r\norganizations has also been helpful in the development of a \u0026quot;green\u0026quot;\r\nlobby in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\r\nIUCN, WWF, LEAD, and PELA and the legal community have all provided technical\r\nand professional guidance in environmental advocacy.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e6. The Environment and the\r\n18th Amendment\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e \u003c/span\u003eIn 2010, \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e responded to the demands\r\nof the provinces to bring about major changes in the constitutional\r\narrangements with respect to the competence and the jurisdiction of the\r\nprovinces in certain fields. The provinces were seeking more powers and\r\nautonomy under the federal scheme and the 18th Amendment passed by the\r\nParliament in 2010\u003csup\u003e79\u003c/sup\u003e enabled the devolution of powers from the\r\nfederation to the provinces in some fields. \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ePrior to the 18th\r\nAmendment, many subjects.\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ewere\u003c/span\u003e within both the\r\nfederal as well as provincial jurisdictions as included in a Concurrent List.\r\nThe federal law-making powers enjoyed primacy in the subjects listed in the\r\nConcurrent List in case the provinces also legislated in the same area. The\r\n18th Amendment has abolished the Concurrent List which included the\r\n\u0026quot;environment and ecology\u0026quot;. The result is that now the environment \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:1.3pt\u0027\u003eis\u003c/span\u003e a provincial subject and the federal\r\ngovernment has no competence to deal with this important field at the national\r\nlevel.\u003csup\u003e80\u003c/sup\u003e This has raised many questions of the inability of the\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e____________________________________\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e78. See,\r\ngenerally, Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e\r\nand Ahmed \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eRafay\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eAlam\u003c/span\u003e,\r\n\u0026quot;The Role of Commissions in Public Interest Environmental Litigation in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0026quot;,\r\n2011 All Pakistan Legal Decisions, Journal, 78 at 88-89.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e79. Supra note\r\n27.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e80. Article\r\n270AA, introduced by the 18\u0026quot;\u0027 Amendment, provides:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(6)\r\nNotwithstanding omission of the Concurrent Legislative List by the Constitution\r\n(Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010, all laws with respect to any of the matters\r\nenumerated in the said List (including Ordinances, Order, rules, bye-laws,\r\nregulations and notifications and other legal instruments [contd.]\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003efederal\u003c/span\u003e government to\r\ndeal with the environment even at a national policy level and in particular to\r\nenter into Multilateral Environmental Agreements (\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMEAs\u003c/span\u003e)\r\nwith other countries.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThere is some discordance in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nover the 18th Amendment and it appears that its Parliament may have acted in\r\nhaste to bar a federal role in national environmental planning. Efforts are\r\nbeing made to revisit this decision and the outcome of this effort would\r\ninfluence major international initiatives such as on climate change in which\r\nthe active participation of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nis necessary at the national level.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eOn the bright side, however, the\r\n18th Amendment has introduced the \u0026quot;Right to Information\u0026quot; as a\r\nfundamental right under the Constitution (Article 19A). This will facilitate an\r\neffective implementation of the freedom of information - legislation and help\r\nenvironmentalist activists to get appropriate facts and data so essential to\r\nthe successful outcome of their efforts.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eD. Lessons for the SAARC Region\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eFrom \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s experience, it is\r\npossible to conclude that an effective environmental regime in a country would\r\ndepend on the following do\u0027s:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(1) A commitment\r\nin the national Constitution to environmental protection would influence an\r\nover-all orientation of laws and policies. \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e has lagged behind in a\r\nconstitutional commitment to environmental protection. A commitment at the\r\nlevel of the Constitution creates \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eprioritisation\u003c/span\u003e in\r\njudicial decisions. The \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\njudiciary has not allowed this handicap to prevent its activist jurisprudence\r\nin the support of environmental causes.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(2) An activist\r\njudiciary, supported by a proficient bar, has played a stellar role in the\r\nsuccesses of environmental causes in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e___________________________________\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003ehaving the force\r\nof law) in force in Pakistan or any part thereof, or having, extra-territorial\r\noperation, immediately before the commencement of the Constitution (Eighteenth\r\nAmendment) Act, 2010, shall continue to remain in force until altered, repealed\r\nor amended by the competent authority.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(8) On the\r\nomission of the Concurrent Legislative List, the process of devolution of the\r\nmatters mentioned in the said List to the Provinces shall be completed by the\r\nthirtieth day of June, two thousand and eleven.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003eSee, (a) Air\r\nLeague of PIAC Employees v. Federation of Pakistan, 2011 SCMR 1254 and (b)\r\nIndustrial Relations Advisors\u0027 v. Federation of Pakistan, 2010 PLC 359\r\n(Karachi).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(3) A major lesson from \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s\r\njudicial interventions for environmental causes has been the contribution of\r\nCommissions that have been appointed by the superior courts to deal with the\r\ntechnical and scientific issues before the Courts. This strategy to \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003ebroac\u003c/span\u003e base the decision-making from a consensus arrived at\r\nin the Commissions has lent much credibility to the work of the superior\r\ncourts.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(4) The Courts in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nhave, on several occasions, used\u003csup\u003e.\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ethe\u003c/span\u003e\r\npublic, trust doctrine to protect the use of natural resources and this rich\r\njurisprudence may be of some relevance to the region\u0027s judiciary.\u0027 Similarly,\r\nthe precautionary principle has been repeatedly invoked in environmental\r\npetitions on the precedent of \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eShehla\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eZia\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(5) Any national commitment to\r\nenvironmental protection is facilitated by a framework national law on the\r\nenvironment that establishes a high level policy making body to \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eprofessionalise\u003c/span\u003e the implementation of the environmental\r\npolicies through environmental protection agencies. Such a law should provide\r\nfor environmental impact assessment as a major means for environmental\r\nmanagement.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(6) The framework law should be\r\nsupplemented by specific \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003esectoral\u003c/span\u003e laws, rules and\r\nregulations such in the forestry, wildlife, and marine areas.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(7) A committed civil society has\r\nchampioned environmental causes before the courts of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e. IUCN and WWF Pakistan and\r\nother initiatives developed with them such as the Sustainable Development Policy\r\nInstitute (SDPI) have anchored much of the initiatives toward environmental\r\nliteracy and sustainable development in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e. Of all its global\r\noffices, IUCN has one of the most impressive national \u003cspan class=GramE\u003epresence\u003c/span\u003e\r\nin \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nand it has, particularly, provided backbone support to almost all national\r\ninitiatives such as the National Conservation Strategy and the Provincial\r\nConservation Strategies. This commitment of IUCN in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e has made a difference in\r\nour over-all efforts.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(8) Civil society in \u003cst1:country-region\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e, usefully, developed a network of\r\nenvironmental journalists (\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nForum of Environmental Journalists) in the\u003csub\u003e,\u003c/sub\u003e earliest stages which\r\ncreated and facilitated \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003efavourable\u003c/span\u003e public opinion on\r\nenvironmental issues. My success\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e_________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e81. See,\r\ngenerally, Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eI-\u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eIassan\u003c/span\u003e and Mr. Ahmad \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eRafay\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eAlam\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;Public Trust Doctrine and Environmental Issues\r\nbefore the Supreme Court of Pakistan\u0026quot; supra note. 42.\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003ein\u003c/span\u003e most of the environment cases that I have handled have\r\nimportantly benefited from the public opinion created by the media \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003ein \u003c/span\u003e\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e. Effective implementation\r\nof environment regimes is facilitated with the support of the media.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(9) Although at\r\na nascent stage in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nas a fundamental right under the Constitution, the right to information\r\nunmistakably influences the quality of information and data available for the\r\nsuccess of environmental regimes at national levels.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eEqually valuable for the SAARC\r\nRegion would be to learn from the mistakes of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e. The \u003cspan class=GramE\u003elist\r\nof don\u0027ts include\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(1) Implementation continues as\r\nby far the most daunting challenge and failure in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e. The appropriate \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eresourcing\u003c/span\u003e and building the capacity for environmental\r\nmanagement is \u003cspan class=GramE\u003ekey\u003c/span\u003e to the implementation of\r\nenvironmental policies and laws. This is where \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e went wrong and did not\r\ninvest in this capacity. The most important lesson from \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e is that the SAARC\r\ncountries should place capacity building as the number one priority. I have\r\nbeen visiting \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBrazil\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nregularly since the Earth Summit in 1992. I am not aware of any country that,\r\nover the years, has invested as heavily in capacity building as \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBrazil\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\r\nThe result is that this capacity has today built its own momentum to\r\neffectively both formulate and implement the environmental policies of \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003eBrazil\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(2) A major handicap in\r\nimplementing environmental laws and policies has been the failure of the\r\nGovernments in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\nboth federal and provincial, to themselves lead by example in respecting and\r\nfollowing these laws. Time and again, huge public sector projects are announced\r\nand although these require an EIA and a public-participative approval process,\r\nthe Governments openly violate these requirements. I recall that, despite my\r\npublic demand at the Pakistan Development Forum in 2006, the construction of\r\nthe massive GHQ in the most picturesque part of \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eIslamabad\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e by General \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMusharraf\u003c/span\u003e was undertaken without the obligatory EIA.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(3) Women \u003csub\u003e.\u003c/sub\u003eand youth\r\nalso significantly improve the quality of implementation. Among important\r\nfailures in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\nit has failed to involve this crucial constituency in its environmental agenda.\r\nSAARC would do well to not repeat that failing.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(4) \u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u0027s\r\ndecision to make the environment an exclusive subject for provincial action and\r\n\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003epolicy \u003c/span\u003ehas weakened \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u0027s ability to deal with the\r\nenvironment at a national level holistically. \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e already feels handicapped\r\nparticularly in dealing with the challenges of climate change at a national\r\nlevel and to deal with the \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMEAs\u003c/span\u003e that it has entered\r\ninto with obligations to other countries.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eTo summarize the lesson from \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:country-region w:st=\"on\"\u003ePakistan\u003c/st1:country-region\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e,\r\nit is highlighted that the challenges to the environment do not end with\r\ndrafting appropriate laws and policies. In fact, they begin with such laws and\r\npolicies. To transform these laws and policies into an affective implementation\r\nrequires a massive commitment to the capacity building of the \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eEPAs\u003c/span\u003e. Without this, any effort will have little chance of\r\nsuccess. The support of the courts, media, women, youth and civil society\r\norganizations should also be encouraged by the countries in the region.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027text-align:center\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003eE. The Way\r\nForward: Regionalizing Environmental Protection\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThe protection of human rights in\r\nthe world was improved by the \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003einternationalisation\u003c/span\u003e of\r\nthese concerns through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, and the\r\nInternational Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social\r\nand Cultural Rights, 1966. These pioneering initiatives at the international\r\nlevel were facilitated by regional support and the establishment of European\r\nCommission/Court of Human Rights, the Inter American Commission/Court of Human\r\nRights and similar initiatives in \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eAfrica\u003c/st1:place\u003e. I\r\nthink the SAARC Region could do \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003ewell \u003c/span\u003eto\r\nregionalize the protection of the environment in the SAARC region. For this\r\npurpose, I propose:-\u0026#8209;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(1) A SAARC Treaty on Environment\r\nand Development based on the Stockholm \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003ePrinoiples\u003c/span\u003e,\r\n1972, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992, and the\r\nJohannesburg Principles, 2002. As Chair of the Commission \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.1pt\u0027\u003eon \u003c/span\u003eEnvironmental Law, IUCN, I had led the\r\nadoption of a proposed international Treaty on the Environment and Development.\u003csup\u003e82\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nThe Earth \u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:1.05pt\u0027\u003eCharter\u003csup\u003e83\u003c/sup\u003e is\u003c/span\u003e\r\nanother relevant inspiration and these could form the\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e__________________________________________\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e82. \u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eIUCN Draft Covenant on Environment and Development\r\nlaunched at the Congress on Public International Law, in the U.N. General\r\nAssembly, New York, 15 March 1995; See also Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;Toward an International Covenant on\r\nEnvironment\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e         \u003c/span\u003eand\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003eDevelopment\u0026quot;, American Society of\r\nInternational Law Proceedings, 513-522 (1993); Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;The IUCN Draft International Covenant\r\non Environment and Development: Background and Prospects\u0026quot;, in A. Kiss and\r\nF. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBurhenne-Guilmin\u003c/span\u003e (\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eeds\u003c/span\u003e),\r\nA Law For The Environment: Essays in \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHonour\u003c/span\u003e of\r\nWolfgang E. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eBurhenne\u003c/span\u003e (IUCN 1994)\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e83\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e        \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eDr. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:\r\n.3pt\u0027\u003e, \u0026quot;The Earth Charter: The Journey from \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City\r\n w:st=\"on\"\u003eThe \u003cspan class=GramE\u003eHague\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003econtd\u003c/span\u003e] \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan class=GramE\u003ebasis\u003c/span\u003e of\r\nthe SAARC Treaty, particularized to the specific needs of the region.\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.3pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(2) The establishment of a SAARC\r\nCommission/Court on the Environment to deal with regional issues.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(3) A SAARC Secretariat on the\r\nEnvironment should be set up to be the depository of a data base of information\r\nof the region. This Secretariat could facilitate inter-state cooperation and\r\nprovide a clearing house for the regions\u0027 laws, policies and court decisions on\r\nthe environment.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(4) The above would build on the\r\nMale Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and its likely \u003cspan\r\nclass=SpellE\u003eTransboundalry\u003c/span\u003e Effects for \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\n(1998), which .was an important initiative in tackling \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003etransboundary\u003c/span\u003e\r\npollution through regional co-operation. SAARC member countries need to further\r\nstrengthen their monitoring and evaluation mechanisms so that the\r\n\u0026quot;momentum of the agenda of air pollution\u0026quot;, initiated in the Male\r\nDeclaration, \u0026quot;is not lost\u0026quot; 84. Through technical assistance protocols\r\nand legally binding agreements between SAARC countries agreeing on time - bound\r\nair pollution reduction programs, the air quality, at both national and\r\nregional levels, can be maintained.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(5) A SAARC Biodiversity\r\nConservation Agreement would provide important regional support to the U.N.\r\nConvention on Biological \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eDiversity.\u003csup\u003ess\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e This\r\nwould facilitate detailed assessments of the biological diversity in the\r\nregion, mapping and delineation of protected areas and the creation of\r\nbiodiversity corridors to provide safe transit for migratory species.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e(6) All the nations of the SAARC\r\nregion are threatened by effects of\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e__________________________________\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e2000\u0026quot;,\r\ndelivered at the Official Launch of the Earth Charter at the Peace Palace, The\r\nHague, The Netherlands, on 29 June l00, published in 30 Pakistan Law Journal\r\n1-4 (2002); Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e,\r\n\u0026quot;Earth Charter: An Ethical Lodestar and Moral Force\u0026quot;, in P. Corcoran,\r\nM. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eVilela\u003c/span\u003e and A. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eRoerink\u003c/span\u003e\r\n(eds.), The Earth Charter in Action: Toward a Sustainable World, 29-31 (KIT\r\nPublishers, Amsterdam 2005)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e84\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e           \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003eSee, Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eMahmood\u003c/span\u003e\r\nA \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eKhawaja\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;Poison in the Air\u0026quot;, News on\r\nSunday, 26 February\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003e2012\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e    \u003c/span\u003e(\u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003e\u003cst1:City w:st=\"on\"\u003eIslamabad\u003c/st1:City\u003e\u003c/st1:place\u003e),\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e            \u003c/span\u003ealso\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eavailable\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e           \u003c/span\u003eat\u003cspan class=GramE\u003e:\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\nhttp://jang.com.pk/thenews/feb2012-weekly/nos-26-02-2012/pol l.htm#7\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e85\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e        \u003c/span\u003eSee, Dr. \u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eParvez\u003c/span\u003e\r\n\u003cspan class=SpellE\u003eHassan\u003c/span\u003e, \u0026quot;The\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e   \u003c/span\u003ePolitical\r\nand\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eLegal Dynamics of the Implementation\r\nof the Convention on Biological Diversity in the Asian and Pacific\r\nRegion\u0026quot;, in Biodiversity Conservation in the \u003cst1:place w:st=\"on\"\u003eAsia\u003c/st1:place\u003e\r\nand Pacific Region: Constraints and Opportunities, 391-401 (ADB/IUCN 1995).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nclass=GramE\u003eclimate\u003c/span\u003e change\u003csup\u003e86\u003c/sup\u003e. A major concern in \u003cst1:place\r\nw:st=\"on\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/st1:place\u003e is the lack of knowledge and awareness on\r\nclimate change as well as the lack of necessary resources to assess the\r\npossible impacts. There is a need for research on localized climate changes and\r\nits impacts. The focus should be\u003csub\u003e,\u003c/sub\u003e on promoting understanding of\r\nclimate change, adoption and mitigation, energy efficiency and natural resource\r\nconservation.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027text-align:justify\u0027\u003eThis vision for the SAARC\r\ncountries may sound ambitious today but the leadership in the region would do\r\nwell to today begin to solve the problems of tomorrow.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c/div\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c/body\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c/html\u003e\r\n"