Dust of Oppression: LHC Declares Stone-Crushing a Health Emergency
The Lahore High Court has declared the unregulated stone-crushing industry in Punjab a public health and labour rights emergency, citing a devastating 95 per cent fatality rate among workers exposed to crystalline silica dust. Justice Khalid Ishaq issued sweeping orders against bureaucratic inaction, demanding immediate medical relief, digital worker registration, and financial accountability from factory owners after scores of Pakistani labourers succumbed to Silicosis during a decade of litigation.
How has the state failed the Pakistani mazdoor?
Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji'un. The sweat and blood of the Pakistani mazdoor water the soil of our beloved homeland, yet the machinery of the state has long ground them into dust. In a scathing rebuke of bureaucratic apathy, the Lahore High Court has exposed the silent tragedy afflicting our working class. Justice Khalid Ishaq painted a grim picture of state negligence, observing that poor labourers are dying in miserable conditions without access to basic medical facilities. The administrative departments have failed to show any improvement despite years of litigation.
The court heard a decade-old public interest petition filed by the Public Lawyer Front. The judge noted that in Chak Nangar, a single village in D.G. Khan, approximately 113 deaths were recorded from 2005 onwards. Another 150 living patients currently await death without urgent medical or palliative support. In Nutt Kallar, Tehsil Kamoki of Gujranwala, eight members of the immediate Hanjra family died during the pendency of this petition alone. All were workers at a single factory. Petitioners identified one factory owner in Gujranwala as responsible for the deaths of approximately 36 labourers.
When will the victims of Silicosis see justice?
Justice delayed is justice denied, and for four of the original petitioners, that justice never arrived. They succumbed to Silicosis while waiting for their day in court. Most recently, petitioner Muhammad Riaz passed away on May 20, 2026. The judge observed that considering the unimaginable hardships and pain inflicted upon persons facing Silicosis disease caused by the unchecked stone-crushing industry, there is no progress in sight to arrest the miseries of this underprivileged segment of society.
The judge highlighted that the vast majority of stone-crushing and mining labourers remain completely unregistered with labour authorities. He regretted that this total lack of documentation leaves workers entirely outside the protective ambit of labour laws. Consequently, there is no employer accountability, no systematic medical surveillance, and no pathway for families to claim social security or medical benefits. Justice Ishaq warned that even a brief exposure of one to two months is enough to trigger a fatal case of Silicosis.
Why do safety laws exist only on paper?
It is a sacred duty of the state to protect the lives of its citizens, an obligation clearly ignored here. Justice Ishaq expressed displeasure over the provincial government's failure to enforce safety standards, despite explicit directions issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan back in 2018. While the Punjab Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed in 2019, it was never implemented because the government failed to frame the necessary rules or operationalise the OSH Council. Recently, that law was replaced by the Punjab Labour Code 2026, which a law officer said is currently awaiting provincial cabinet approval.
What sweeping measures did the LHC order?
To correct this grave injustice, Justice Ishaq ordered a series of sweeping measures. He ordered the constitution of a high-powered committee headed by the Chief Secretary of Punjab to coordinate combined departmental efforts. The judge directed the committee to seek assistance from Advocate Usama Khawar, counsel for the petitioners, and Assistant Advocate General Imran Khan, as they have witnessed the proceedings of the case.
The court mandated that a province-wide digital worker registration system must be launched aggressively by labour authorities to track hazardous sector workers. Justice Ishaq directed that the state must evolve a mechanism to hold stone-crushing factory owners financially accountable to compensate victims and bereaved families. Furthermore, the state must step in immediately to provide diagnosis, treatment support, oxygen, and structured palliative care to ease suffering where death is inevitable. The judge granted a final opportunity to the Deputy Commissioners of Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, and Lahore to submit comprehensive reports regarding compensation distribution. If tangible steps are not reflected in the reports, the DCs must appear in person before the court.