Experts | Pakistan

Experts have cautioned that Pakistan cannot achieve true resilience unless water, food, and climate challenges are tackled collectively rather than as separate issues.

Experts see balance of power reshaping

Experts at a conference on tackling the issue of air pollution brought attention to its transnational threat and urged greater regional cooperation to tackle it. The moot was held at the Expo Centre in Lahore on Saturday as part of DawnMedia’s ‘Breathe Pakistan’ initiative. The conference was held with the aim of shedding light on actionable solutions, fostering high-level dialogue, and driving collective action for cleaner air in Pakistan. Sessions covered a broad range of themes, including governance and policy frameworks, financing clean air, smog and industrial responsibility, judicial activism, public health impacts, nationwide air quality standards, and regional cooperation on transboundary pollution. A press release issued said: “Concluding the event, participants agreed that Pakistan’s fight for clean air must now move from promise to policy and from data to delivery. DawnMedia reaffirmed its commitment to continue convening dialogue through Breathe Pakistan, keeping the spotlight on collective action...

Northern areas are reeling from devastating climate-induced flash floods that killed hundreds earlier this month, destroying homes, infrastructure and livelihoods in scenes many compared to the catastrophic 2022 deluges. Pakistan ranks among the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, despite contributing less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Experts warn that such floods and other calamities are no longer “rare disasters” and are becoming routine shocks in a country ill-prepared to withstand them. The focus, according to these experts, must now be on adaptation, not emissions cuts. “Floods are no longer rare disasters in Pakistan. They are becoming routine shocks that people brace for every monsoon. Calling them the ‘new normal’ is not an exaggeration,” said Karachi-based ecologist Rafi-ul-Haq. Since mid-August, torrential rains, flash floods and cloudbursts have killed more than 460 people across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Khybe...

Experts from various professions assailed systemic injustice in Pakistan on Sunday, stressing the need for legal and civil institutions to be supportive and have a holistic approach. The observations came during a plenary session of the Imagining Futures Conference, taking place at Karachi’s Habib University from August 1-4, where subject experts and stakeholders discussed human rights and civil liberties in Pakistan. As the session, brimming with participants of all ages, began exploring Pakistan’s legal landscape, National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Chairperson Rabiya Javeri highlighted: “Knowledge is capital.” However, she stressed, people should be aware of their rights but the “system is messed up”. Responding to a query from the audience about whether knowledge really guaranteed protection if women such as ex-premier Benazir Bhutto and Noor Mukadam could be murdered, Javeri pointed out: “Empowerment through education or skills needs to be integrated into systems […] educational, financial, judic...