D.G. KHAN CEMENT COMPANY V. GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB

The Supreme Court of Pakistan rejected a constitutional challenge by the D.G. Khan Cement Company against a Punjab government notification barring cement plant construction or expansion in "Negative Areas". The court ruled that the ban was a proper climate resilient measure based on a consultant report warning of groundwater depletion and other environmental harms. The decision integrated the precautionary principle, the rights of nature, and the concept of "climate democracy" into the interpretation of fundamental rights under Pakistan's Constitution, emphasizing intergenerational justice and the need to protect water resources from climate change.

• The Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the Government of Punjab's notification prohibiting the construction or expansion of cement plants in environmentally fragile zones known as "Negative Areas".
• The court's reasoning was based on a consultant report indicating that cement projects could lead to further groundwater depletion and other negative environmental effects.
• The judgment established that the government notification was a climate resilient measure consistent with the Constitution of Pakistan and the National Climate Change Policy, specifically highlighting the impact of climate change on water resources.
• The court invoked the precautionary principle and the concept of intergenerational justice, stating a judicial duty to protect future generations from climate change through climate justice.
• The ruling is described as groundbreaking for reading "climate democracy" into Pakistan's constitutional fundamental rights and shifting toward an ecocentric view that recognizes nature as having its own rights.

APA

Natural Justice (2021). D.G. KHAN CEMENT COMPANY V. GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/D.G.-Khan-Cement-Company-v.-Government-of-Punjab.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. D.G. KHAN CEMENT COMPANY V. GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB. 2021. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/D.G.-Khan-Cement-Company-v.-Government-of-Punjab.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=D.G. KHAN CEMENT COMPANY V. GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB |date=December 2021 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/D.G.-Khan-Cement-Company-v.-Government-of-Punjab.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2021khan, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{D.G. KHAN CEMENT COMPANY V. GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/D.G.-Khan-Cement-Company-v.-Government-of-Punjab.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }