Mian Muhammad Asif v. Superintendent of Police and others

On October 10, 2019, the Lahore High Court considered a brick-kiln operator's challenge to police interference with the excavation and transport of soil. The Court declined to resolve the petitioner's fact-dependent individual claim but used the proceeding to address unregulated topsoil removal by the brick industry. It held that soil falls within the public trust doctrine because it supports plant growth, filters water, maintains atmospheric-gas balance, stores carbon, and sustains ecosystems. Relying in part on the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land and Asghar Leghari v. Federation of Pakistan, the Court found that removal of topsoil contributes to desertification, lower agricultural yields, food insecurity, environmental degradation, and climate change. The Court directed the Government of Punjab to begin, within six months, administrative and legislative measures to regulate brick manufacturing and the use and conservation of soil, in consultation with affected agencies and industry stakeholders.