LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Thursday constituted an eight-member commission to look into the causes of smog and to implement the environmental laws to prevent the effects of smog/air pollution.

The commission is headed by Dr Pervaiz Hassan and its other members include Advocate Sheraz Zaka, Environment Secretary Saif Anjum, Lahore High Court Bar Association nominee Barrister Sarah Belal, Health Secretary Najam Shah, Hima-verte Managing Partner Ali Habib and Additional Advocate General Anwar Husain.

The commission will meet on Friday (today) to look into the causes of smog and also to implement the environmental laws to prevent the effects of smog/air pollution. It will also present a report on Jan 18 about the progress made by the Punjab government on the implementation of environmental laws to overcome smog and its deleterious effects.

The chief justice had constituted the commission while hearing petitions of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Lahore President Barrister Walid Iqbal and others.

Petitioners’ counsel Sheraz Zaka had submitted that in 1952 the great smog was faced by London which thereafter implemented environmental laws and in 1956 implemented the Clean Air Act 1956.

He argued that in order to curb air and noise pollution during the times of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the coal industry in entire Britain was closed.

He had said that in Pakistan the reason for smog was the lack of enforcement of environmental laws and dysfunctional central laboratory in Lahore which is due to the negligence of the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency.

He had submitted that the government had not taken any adequate awareness measures amongst the public.

He had said the Punjab EPA failed to perform its statutory obligations and enforce pollution charge rules and the federal government was flouting its international obligations under the Paris Agreement 2015. He pointed out that even EPA testing laboratory was not functioning.

He requested that the provincial government and the EPA should be asked whether the industrial activity taking place in the city was being scrutinised under the Pollution Charge Rules 2001 or the agency was performing its statutory obligations.

He also requested to inquire from the authorities as to what remedial measures had been taken to address the prevailing weather condition arising from the toxic smog.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2018