Seminar at Edwardes College: Legal recourse importance stressed to safeguard environment

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar here on Tuesday stressed the importance of legal recourse in safeguarding the environment.

The seminar was organized at Edwardes College and was titled “The Green Bench: Judicial Precedents in Environmental and Climate Litigation”.The event brought together legal experts, environmental enthusiasts, and academics to address the growing legal challenges posed by climate change.

Prof Shujat Ali Khan, Principal of Edwardes College, emphasized the importance of legal recourse in safeguarding the environment.He highlighted the college’s role in facilitating such discussions, underlining the responsibility of academic institutions in fostering environmental consciousness.

Yasir Ali Khan (Sarmad), an environment enthusiast and lecturer in Literature at the college, spoke about the evolving nature of climate change discourse, particularly the urgent need for legal frameworks to adapt to the shifting environmental realities.

He pointed out that “climate change was no longer a distant threat but a lived reality that requires immediate legal and judicial intervention,” drawing attention to the increasing role of courts in addressing environmental rights and obligations.

Tariq Afghan Advocate talked of the judicial precedents that had shaped climate litigation in Pakistan and beyond.He discussed the significance of public interest litigation in environmental matters, particularly in holding state and corporate actors accountable for environmental harm.

The seminar featured the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected office-bearers of the Lawyers of Edwardes.Umar Khan Utmanzai, President of the Citizen Rights and Advocacy Forum, spoke as well.

He stressed the growing phenomenon of climate-induced displacement, urging legal institutions to prioritize the plight of environmental refugees.Special guest, Dr. Syed Hanif Rasool Kakakhel, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of English at Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak emphasized the role of judicial precedents in setting the stage for more aggressive climate litigation, calling for legal innovations that align with the global climate crisis. Saplings were planted on the college grounds after the event.