LocationsFrom Charter to Change:
Parliament’s Leadership in Realizing the SDGs
By Ahmer Bilal Soofi | Former Caretaker Federal Minister for Law & Justice
The Parliament of Pakistan plays a pivotal role in guiding the nation’s development trajectory, ensuring that the SDG agenda is promoted through both legislative and oversight mechanisms.
The SDGs are realizable goals repackaged by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from the treaty provisions primarily relating to environmental protection. These goals had earlier been recognized in the UN Charter and several specialized agencies were established with the objective of providing the fruits of these goals to the UN in an equitable and just manner. The UN and the UN Charter are the overriding law-making treaty which is binding for every country including Pakistan. The SDGs thus become an embedded and concomitant agenda of the UN Charter. Accordingly, considering the importance of treaty-implementation and observance in international relations, during my tenure in 2013 as the Caretaker Federal Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, I issued instructions for the establishment of Treaty-Cells in all federal and provincial departments and divisions.
Treaty execution and implementation in Pakistan has, constitutionally, been the responsibility of the Federation. An important change in the existing conditions took place when the Concurrent Legislative List (CLL) was abolished through the Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution in 2010. Scores of departments were devolved from the Federal Government to the domain of the provinces. This change left the execution of treaties in the domain of the Federation but their effective implementation in the hands of the provinces. At that time, I proposed a solution to this conundrum, which was published in the newspaper Dawn in 2018 titled, ‘The Concurrent Bind’. In the article, I referred to a recent judgment of the apex court and suggested that notwithstanding the abolition of the CLL, the federation could still pass legislation binding on the devolved departments for implementation of a treaty. I have also highlighted the role the Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Committee can play for smooth implementation of the treaties for the federation and the provinces.
‘Al-Mizan: A Covenant for the Earth’ is an initiative that aims to demonstrate how Islam can be a driving force for sustainable development and environmental care. It was launched as an Islamic environmental charter at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi in 2024. I recently authored a book which introduces the Quran as having a covenantal structure. The importance of strict compliance of treaties, pacts and agreements under the Quran and Islamic law has also been underscored and highlighted in the book. In the same book, I have made a special effort to highlight all the verses of the Quran which dovetail with the objectives of the SDGs. These include verses relating to environmental protection, rule of law, reduction of poverty, social justice, administration of justice, healthy lifestyle, among others. The book emphasizes that Muslims should internalize all covenants of the Quran. This approach, in my judgment, will help in compliance with municipal and international law, the latter being comprised mainly of treaties and conventions.
In Pakistan superior judiciary has interpreted Article 9 of the Constitution (the right to life for all persons in Pakistan) very expansively. The jurisprudence began to develop in the late 1980s and continues to date. The right to life has been held to include the right to a clean environment, access to justice, health, dignity, privacy, provision of electricity, and many more. The courts have consistently held that “The word ‘life’ has not been defined in the Constitution but it does not mean nor can it be restricted only to the vegetative or animal life or mere existence from conception to death. Life includes all such amenities and facilities which a person born in a free country, is entitled to enjoy with dignity, legally and constitutionally.”
Pakistan adopted the SDGs as its national development agenda in 2016 and established a dedicated National Parliamentary Task Force to prioritize these goals at the highest levels of the state. For that purpose, the SDG Secretariat was established at the official level. The Secretariat has further established Provincial Task Forces to identify areas where gaps exist in relation to the SDGs and suggest measures, administrative and legislative, for remedying the situation.
The Parliament of Pakistan plays a pivotal role in guiding the nation’s development trajectory, ensuring that the SDG agenda is promoted through legislative and oversight mechanisms. While progress has been made towards achieving the SDGs in Pakistan, a lot of work and challenges still remain. Pakistan, like many other nations, faces pressing concerns such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and health crises. These issues demand sustained focus, availability of resources, and comprehensive legislative and executive action.