Farooq v. Federation of Pakistan

Several Pakistani citizens sued the Pakistani government arguing that the government had failed to plant and conserve trees and forests in Punjab in violation of Pakistani law and the plaintiffs' constitutional rights.

In 1947, Pakistan was 33 percent forest. Today, due to deforestation, tree cover is just about 4 percent. In response to widespread deforestation, the plaintiffs alleged violations of Article 9 (right of life liberty), Article 14 (right of dignity), Article 26 (right of access to public places of entertainment) and Article 38(b) (provision of available leisure places) of the Constitution.

They also alleged a failure to implement The Forest Act of 1927 and the Punjab Plantation and Maintenance of Trees Act of 1974.

The court ordered the Pakistan government to meet its commitments under the law, including the National Climate Change Policy of 2012, the National Forest Policy of 2015, the Forest Policy Statement of 1999, and the Punjab Environmental Policy of 2015. It ruled that the government had failed to project the forest of Pakistan from depletion and deforestation.

In its discussion of relevant law, the court touched on the right to a healthy environment, the precautionary principle, and the public trust doctrine. Specifically, in regard to climate change, the court summarized the negative impacts of climate change on forests and obligations under the National Climate Change Policy, 2012 to protect biodiversity and prevent wetland degradation by reducing deforestation.

https://climate-laws.org/geographies/pakistan/litigation_cases/sheikh-asim-farooq-v-federation-of-pakistan-etc