A group of 39 Pakistani farmers, whose livelihoods were obliterated by catastrophic floods four years ago, have initiated a landmark lawsuit in a German court against two major industrial companies, demanding compensation and climate justice for the devastation they have endured.
These details were disclosed during a panel discussion held at the Pakistan Medical (PMA) House as part of Climate Week Karachi, according to a statement today. The event was jointly organised by the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the Climate Action Center (CAC).
Addressing the session, affected growers recounted how the devastating 2022 floods completely upended their lives. They described how their fertile agricultural lands were inundated by fifteen to twenty feet of water, their livestock perished in the deluge, and their residences were razed.
The farmers informed attendees that they and their families were forced into dire conditions, seeking refuge in open-sky relief camps. They stated that four years after the floods, they remain economically and socially crippled, with their once-productive lands now barren and their primary sources of income entirely lost.
The legal action, filed on 22 December 2025, targets the German energy enterprise RWE and cement manufacturer Heidelberg Materials. Panelists identified this as the first instance of Pakistani farmers taking environmentally destructive corporations to court to demand accountability.
Speakers at the discussion argued that the world has been pushed to the edge of an environmental disaster primarily due to atmospheric carbon emissions, which are causing an unbearable rise in global temperatures. They emphasised a belief that the pursuit of profit within the “capitalist mode of production” has led to the disregard of environmental regulations and ethics.
The panelists expressed that this lawsuit is expected to set a significant precedent, compelling other companies to halt practices that are detrimental to the environment. They warned that if the dangerous impacts of climate change are not halted, life on Earth could face an existential threat.
Participants in the panel session included Dr. Sonke Widderich of the German organisation Medico International, which is supporting the farmers” case. The plaintiffs were represented by Dadu District farmers Abdul Khaliq Laghari and Gul Hassan Babbar, alongside fellow affected farmer Inayat Laghari. Comrade Zehra Khan, General Secretary of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation of Pakistan, also spoke at the event, which was moderated by Nasir Mansoor.