Thursday, April 11, 2013 - Environment has never been matter of concern for Pakistan and the tendency goes further chronic as all mainstream political parties, bracing for participation in the forthcoming polls, have placed environment issues at the bottom of their draft manifestos for 2013 elections. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1994, and as a result the adoption of Kyoto Protocol initially in 1997 (which later entered into force on 16 February 2005), has dubbed it necessary for all to have more vibrant climate change policies at political and national level across the world.
However, in Pakistan, politics has all glamour but blind to environment issues. Indifference on the subject gets more appalling because common people especially civil society have not bothered to bash political leadership for downplaying environment matters in their manifestos. Adding insult to injury, various NGOs engaged in revamping environmental degradation, government departments and independent associations, national and international, have also opted out to remain silent over the situation.
In terms of words, Pakistan claims to be part of global world but at the time of action, it lacks interest to follow environment protocol which are accepted and practiced on international front. Even neighbouring country India has better awakening for environmental problems and its political parties are so sensitive on the issue that they have placed climate matters on the top of their manifestos. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was founded in 1967 by late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but PPP spotted environmental problems during 2002 general elections when late Benazir Bhutto positioned them in party manifesto. The same manifesto was incorporated in 2008 general elections. The manifesto just mentioned them instead putting greater emphasis on environment to ensure water security, green energy, environment-friendly policies and environment curriculum in educational institutions. With similar fashion and mind, PPP’s 13-member manifesto committee is again on the roll to fine tune its 2013 election manifesto highlighting five Es: ‘Employment, education, energy, equality, environment.
According to draft of the PPP manifesto, cosmetic priority has been assigned to environmental protection and pollution control. It establishes apparently a number of programmes to combat environmental issues through Environmental Protection Act introduced in 1996 with the help of Environmental Protection Agency and enforcing National Environmental Quality Standards. A member of committee seeking anonymity said that move to keep environment issues in manifesto was merely ostentation to catch international attention and satisfy foreign friends. The PPP’s ally party including Pakistan Muslim League (Q) headed by Ch Shujat Hussain and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) led by Altaf Hussain and Awami National Party (ANP) spearheaded by Asfadyar Wali Khan are also on the same page over the issue.
The opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N headed by two-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has even given a cold shoulder to environment issues in all manifestos. It is not surprising that the manifesto does not cater to environment issue specially climate change, pollution of air and marine habitat, water quality, biodiversity, invasive plants and animals, eco-system, unsustainable agriculture, overpopulation and so on and so forth.
Pakistan Environment Lawyers’ Association (PELA) president Rafy Aalam criticized political parties for belittling environment issues in their manifestos but courageously confessed “Our like environment associations and NGOs also underperformed as if political parties did nothing and we also stayed out of the focus.” He further said: “Had we been in touch with political leadership in making of manifestos giving feedback on environment issues, they might have enlisted environment problems in true letter and spirit and this would have turned as tipping point but we remained dormant.”
Pakistan Eco-Green Society Chairman and Environmentalist Akhtar H Awan also openly admitted negligence on the behalf of NGOs engaged in environment-related issues but to control the damage. He said that letters would be forwarded to political parties to prioritize environment problems at the top. “We have also plan to hold seminars and optimize various medium of mass communication to sensitize political parties over the issue,” he asserted. Story does not end here, parliament also played a blind eye over the most important issue establishing the impression that it has nothing to do with the healthy environment and pollution-free country. “It is true that ministry of climate change worked nothing except passing a bill on the issue,” National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change Chairman Dr. Ghulam Haider Samego accepted his inefficiency. However, there is still a light at the end of tunnel. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), gearing up for polls, has released environment policy in its party manifesto 2013 elections. Everyone praised it and described the PTI gesture with proverb “every cloud has silver lining”.
The uncontrolled growth of urban areas with poor sanitation conditions is threatening natural ecosystems,” it elaborated. According to the manifesto, the PTI commits to expedite the implementation of the national environment action plan (NEAP), set up national/public parks across the country, enforce the Environment Protection Act 1997 which provides a framework for conservation of wildlife and biodiversity, establishment of environmental tribunals and magistrates, inclusion of environmental issues in school curriculum, and public awareness, design national guidelines and modules for the development of towns and cities as a planning and implementation tool for urban development.
Manifesto also introduces and enforce byelaws to control land, air and water pollution by industry and urban centers, eliminate timber mafia and ensure transfer of economic benefits to the local inhabitants from legal logging, ban import of hazardous chemical wastes for recycling by any industry or for dumping, launch a national campaign of forestation, develop and implement community-based programmes for conversion of degraded forests and wasteland into quality forests, deny exploitation of offshore resources, especially marine life, by big trawlers, offer incentives to the private sector to invest in research and development in environment-friendly technology for application in agriculture, industry and the services sector and develop programmes to clean our river systems, streams and other water bodies.
It looks heartening that in a situation all mainstream parties ignored environment issues; the PTI stands alone for the noble cause. But, real challenge will surface when the PTI, after coming into power, will truly translate its words into reality. So time will tell that it is just an election stunt or manifestation of intention to attend environment problems.
—The writer is a Lahore-based journalist.
