LAHORE: The Punjab Environment Protection Department told the Lahore High Court on Friday the chief minister had signed a ‘smog policy’ which would be notified in the official gazette in a day.

A legal adviser of the department presented the draft of the policy before the court and shared its salient features. He said the air monitoring system would be expanded under the smog policy besides enforcement of the Pollution Charge Rules of 2001 and environmental laws.

He said with the upgrade of the central laboratory a checks and balance system would be introduced in collaboration with the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industries on industrial units emitting green house gas emissions.

The adviser said that public awareness campaigns on all media regarding protective measures would be launched and also in schools where children were likely to suffer from smog related issues.

Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah adjourned hearing till Nov 8 and directed the law officer to present the notification of the policy before the court.

Advocate Sheraz Zaka had filed a public interest petition last year after a dense smog engulfed the city and affected a large number of citizens. He submitted that in 1952 the smog was faced by London, which thereafter implemented environmental laws and introduced the Clean Air Act of 1956.

He said the coal industry in Britain was shut down by then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in order to curb air and noise pollution.

The lawyer said that the Punjab government had created a misconception that the smog transpired due to burning of agricultural waste in the Indian province of Punjab. He said the reason behind the smog was the lack of enforcement of environmental laws and dysfunctional central laboratory in Lahore. He argued that the government had not taken any adequate awareness measures amongst the public.

Law officers: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the advocate general of Punjab to apprise the court of the procedure for the appointment of the law officers in the province.

Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing a petition moved by two lawyers who had challenged the appointment process for government’s law officers and sought directions for it to formulate a mechanism for the purpose beyond political considerations.

Advocate Ch Shoaib Saleem argued that the law officers had been appointed on political consideration and they remained loyal to the ruling government instead of the state. He said the government’s lawyers drew salaries from the taxpayers’ money but defended a specific political government.

Mr Saleem referred to a recent incident wherein an additional advocate general, belonging to lawyers’ wing of the PML-N, had slapped a police officer outside a court of Islamabad during hearing of the National Accountability Bureau references against the Sharif family. He said the conduct of the law officer, who was later sacked, had established that the law officers had been appointed merely on political grounds.

The petitioner-lawyer said appointment mechanism of law officers was not regulated by any rules or law and it was totally dependent on the will of the executive head of the government. He pleaded that professionalism could be introduced in the law officers if some procedure was adopted for appointments at the Advocate General’s office through proper advertisements, written tests or interviews.

Opposing the petition, Additional Advocate General Anwaar Hussain argued that the chief minister of the province enjoyed discretionary powers under Article 140 of the Constitution to make appointments at the Advocate General’s office. He said the Supreme Court had already decided a similar matter and upheld the powers of the executive.

The chief justice deferred further hearing till Nov 13 and directed the AGP to apprise it of the mechanism for the recruitment of the law officers.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017