Pakistan Punjab CM for cross-border efforts to deal with smog

Pakistan’s Punjab province Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday called for united efforts with the Punjab province of India against what she described as the common enemy ‘smog’, saying it was “not a political but a humanitarian issue”. Addressing a Diwali event here, she said: “I have already stressed for having diplomacy with India on the smog issue. I am thinking of writing a letter to Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to tell him that this is not just a political issue but a humanitarian one.”

The Chief Minister added: “Until both Punjabs come together, we will not be able to tackle the smog issue.” She made these remarks on a day when her provincial government issued a smog alert following an abnormal dip in the air quality of Lahore, which also affected the visibility here.

She reiterated her call for climate diplomacy with India saying people on both sides of the border would benefit from this initiative (if taken together).

“As we are taking steps to address this issue, there should be a matching response from India. The winds don’t know there’s a political border in between,” she said.

Last week, her government said it had planned artificial rains to mitigate the impact of the smog after Lahore faced an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 394. However, there has been no announcement of any date.