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Pakistan's Outdated Emission Standards Spark Urgent Call for Action
23 Oct
Summary
- Emission standards frozen at Euro-II, far behind modern Euro-V and Euro-VI
- Pak-EPA lacks financial, technical resources to fulfill its air quality monitoring mandate
- Senate panel urges stronger climate action in vulnerable Gilgit-Baltistan region
On October 23rd, 2025, a parliamentary committee in Pakistan highlighted critical inadequacies in the country's environmental oversight. The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination was informed that Pakistan's vehicle emission limits remain frozen at the Euro-II level, far behind the modern Euro-V and Euro-VI standards adopted by most nations.
The committee also learned that the current National Environmental Quality Standards only correspond to the outdated Euro-II levels, despite deteriorating air quality and international shifts toward more stringent benchmarks. Islamabad's Deputy Commissioner revealed that the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), the body responsible for monitoring air quality, lacks both the financial resources and technical capacity to fulfill its mandate.
Separately, the Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and SAFRON decided to recommend that the federal government enhance efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the region. The committee, which met in Skardu, was informed that Gilgit-Baltistan is among the most vulnerable areas to climate change-induced disasters, with this year seeing unprecedented events like glacial melting, cloudbursts, and glacial-lake outburst floods.
The parliamentary committees have now directed the Ministry of Climate Change to present a comprehensive, time-bound air quality improvement plan and called for increased funding to strengthen the country's environmental oversight and disaster preparedness in vulnerable regions.
