Air pollution: Doctors report prolonged respiratory illnesses in Lahore’s children, risks from fatal diseases

Students cross a rail track amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 30, 2021. (AFP/FILE)
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Updated 05 March 2023
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Air pollution: Doctors report prolonged respiratory illnesses in Lahore’s children, risks from fatal diseases

  • One Lahore study that randomly sampled school children showed 20 percent of children had asthma
  • Doctors say Pakistan lacks national action plan on air pollution, warn kids can get heart diseases, cancer

LAHORE: Data and interviews with experts and paediatricians show Pakistani children are suffering from prolonged respiratory illnesses due to increasing air pollution, with health practitioners warning of a rise in cases of hypertension, heart diseases and even cancer among young Pakistanis in the absence of a “national action plan” to tackle worsening air quality levels.

Pakistan is the fourth most polluted country in the world, with almost all of it’s 220 million people living in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO guideline, according to IQAIR, which monitors air contamination worldwide.

The country’s eastern city of Lahore, the second largest by population and area and the capital of Punjab province, is among the world’s most polluted urban centers, with IQAIR recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 438 in the city in peak smog season last November, a figure that was globally the highest at the time. Compare this to the fact that air is only healthy up to an AQI of 50 and children suffer the most from pollution since they breathe more rapidly than adults and inhale more pollutants.

“We frequently put up the worst numbers,” Professor Waqar Hussain, a paediatrician at Lahore’s Shalimar Hospital, told Arab News, saying the AQI for Lahore frequently veered between 300 and 400: “This is a calamity of epic proportions.”

“Smog destroys respiratory cilia [which clean up debris in human airways], and once gone, the cilia can’t slow down a virus or an infection,” he said. “Our kids already have low immunity because of nutritional deficiencies, and when combined with environmental pollution, these infections become deadly.”

Hussain said air pollution caused more than 50 percent of lower respiratory infections among children, while pregnant women exposed to toxic air were also likely to give premature births with potential complications.

“The UK and the US have the same viruses and infections as us,” Hussain said, comparing Pakistan’s situation with developed countries. “Upper respiratory tract wise, we all see about 10 episodes per year in a child. But in the lower respiratory tract, in the lungs, our numbers [in Lahore] are four times higher. Pneumonia, for instance, asthma, childhood cancer, early age cardiac problems are all in higher incidence here.”

Smog can also lead to fatal complications with diseases like tuberculosis and prolong respiratory infections.

“America’s school going children get a lot of viral infections but they get better in a week,” he said, while children in Lahore suffered for months in such cases.

“IT’S A CRISIS“

Hussain said he was involved in a recent study that randomly sampled school children from different social strata in Lahore for medical checkup.

“From government schools to elite private schools like Aitchison, when the tests came back, 20 percent of the children were diagnosed with asthma,” he said. “Their families had no idea.”

In terms of children’s illnesses, he said last year was among the worst he had ever witnessed in his medical career.

“That’s why I conducted a seminar this January,” he added. “We called experts. It’s a crisis, we have to do something.”

“The mixture of surface level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, lead, it’s a case of picking your poison,” Hussain said while explaining the effects of smog on children. “Fetal development is badly affected. Air pollution also impairs neurodevelopment and cognitive function. Autism is rapidly increasing. These are all things I’m witnessing every year now.”

Pakistan Pediatrics Association’s Punjab President Dr. Naeem Zafar said the rise in the number of serious diseases among children in recent years may also have something to do with the coronavirus pandemic that started spreading in late-2020.

“I think COVID-19 has exacerbated problems [of pollution] in a population with already weakened immune systems,” he told Arab News. “Then there are many influenza strains that have recently evolved.”

“Look, we have had smog for decades,” he added. “There were government commissions set up in the 70s, in the 80s, there were short term or aesthetic remedies, visible smog was reduced but the air quality remained bad. The surge in mortality you’re seeing these last few winters probably has more to do with the viruses. They’re much worse now, even in adults.”

However, Professor Hussain was not convinced and said viruses had been around for thousands of years while pandemics happened periodically.

“We said this in the seminars. It’s to do with smog. We are not doing anything, as a government, as a society. We invited everyone to the seminar, our association went to the health department, but no public policy promises were made.”

Hussain pointed out the United States, United Kingdom and China burned more fossil fuels than Pakistan, but they had also improved the overall environmental situation in the last many years as climate change became a reality.

“We join a committee, give a recommendation, then what? Where is the implementation? Pakistan lacks a coordinated national action plan on air pollution,” he said.

Arab News reached out to Syed Hammad Raza Bukhari, the Punjab health department spokesperson, several times to seek comment for this story but he declined. 

Noor Ahmed, a deputy director for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), a research project launched by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) to monitor Punjab province, was also unavailable for comment.

“THINGS ARE GOING TO GET WORSE“

Dr. Shahzad Khurram, a paediatrician with 15 years of experience running his private clinic, said his anecdotal experience was the same as Professor Hussain’s.

“I treat young kids with bronchitis, ear infections, problems in the nasal passage, and pneumonia every day,” he told Arab News. “I treated a three-year-old child who had asthma for almost two years. No family history, nothing wrong with the child at birth.”

And while it was difficult, he said, to pinpoint smog as a cause, it was not impossible:

“Sometimes the respiratory problems are genetic, sometimes they’re allergies, from pollen, sometimes it’s influenza, but oftentimes we are seeing coughs and shortness of breath without any apparent cause. That’s when we know it’s smog.”

Taken in isolation, he added, these barely constituted two percent of the cases.

“But we don’t exist in isolation,” the doctor said. “If you ask me, the diseases that smog has made much, much worse, that number goes up to 50 percent. Half the children I see are presenting with symptoms much more severe than their illnesses should be presenting with.”

“I see chronically inflamed tonsils. Narrowed nasal passages in growing children. Children using inhalers twice as often as before,” he added.

Preventively, one could wear a double surgical mask, use nebulizers, take steam, monitor the daily AQI and stay in if it was very high, but these were short term alleviations.

“There are going to be more and more young people with heart diseases, hypertension, cancer,” Khurram warned. “These are just the facts out there. Things are going to get worse. It’s not just the air either, it’s the water, the food. But we simply aren’t responding as a society.”


Pakistan eyes trade corridors with Belarus to enhance access to Central Asia, Europe

Updated 03 April 2025
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Pakistan eyes trade corridors with Belarus to enhance access to Central Asia, Europe

  • Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan arrives in Minsk on two-day visit to bolster trade, investment ties
  • Khan to sign new MoUs during visit, state-run media says amid Islamabad’s push for sustainable economic growth 

ISLAMABAD: Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan on Thursday stressed the importance of creating trade corridors between Pakistan and Belarus, state media reported, noting that they could be instrumental in helping both countries access markets in Central Asia and Europe. 

Pakistan and Belarus have moved closer to foster stronger trade and economic cooperation in recent months. Both countries marked 30 years of diplomatic ties last year. Belarus’s prime minister visited Islamabad in October 2024 to meet key Pakistani civilian and military officials to bolster economic cooperation. 

Khan arrived in Minsk on an official two-day visit to the country on Thursday. He met Belarusian Minister of Energy Denis Moroz and the country’s Transport Minister Alexei Lyakhnovich, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 

“He emphasized the importance of creating trade corridors between the two countries which could play a key role in facilitating access to Central Asian States through routes in Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, or Iran, ultimately opening up pathways to Eastern Europe,” APP reported. 

“Abdul Aleem Khan stated that these infrastructure projects would also be a strategic milestone.”

Khan highlighted the potential for “significant improvement” in the communications sector between both countries during his meeting with Belarusian ministers, APP said. 

It said the Pakistani minister is being hosted as a state guest in the eastern European country. He will have the opportunity to sign several new memoranda of understanding (MOUs) during his trip, APP said. 

Pakistan and Belarus agreed to boost cooperation in industry, media, tourism and other economic sectors during the eighth session of the Pakistan-Belarus Joint Ministerial Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation held in February this year. 

Islamabad has aggressively pushed for trade and investment ties with regional allies such as China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Central Asian countries and others recently in its bid to escape a prolonged macroeconomic crisis. 

Pakistan has signed MoUs worth billions of dollars with businesses and entities in China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Azerbaijan and other countries since last year to ensure sustainable economic growth driven by increasing exports and financial reforms mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 


Pakistan assumes Asian Cricket Council presidency, vows to accelerate sport’s global influence

Updated 03 April 2025
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Pakistan assumes Asian Cricket Council presidency, vows to accelerate sport’s global influence

  • Defending champions India are scheduled to host Asia Cup later this year in T20 format
  • ACC, governing body for cricket in Asia, includes Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday assumed the presidency of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the board confirmed, vowing to enhance the sport’s global influence. 

The ACC is the governing body for cricket in Asia, established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport across the continent. It organizes major tournaments like the Asia Cup and works to improve cricket standards, provide financial support and strengthen ties between member countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka held ACC’s presidency before Pakistan officially took over the post from it on Apr. 3, according to the PCB.

“In accordance with the decision of the Asian Cricket Council, Pakistan has officially taken over the presidency from Sri Lanka Cricket,” the PCB said in a statement. 

“Effective immediately, Pakistan will lead the council in its mission to promote and expand cricket across the Asian continent.”

It added that the ACC was “poised to strengthen and expand” cricket’s presence across Asia by fostering growth and unity within the sport.

Meanwhile, in a press release, the ACC quoted Naqvi as saying that he was honored to assume the regional cricketing body’s presidency.

“Asia remains the heartbeat of world cricket and I am committed to working with all member boards to accelerate the game’s growth and global influence,” he said.

“Together, we will unlock new opportunities, foster greater collaboration and take Asian cricket to unprecedented heights.”

The PCB chief also extended his sincere wishes to outgoing ACC president Shammi Silva from Sri Lanka for his leadership and contributions during his tenure. 

India will host the next edition of the Men’s Asia Cup cricket tournament in the T20 format in 2025 as a precursor to the T20 World Cup scheduled in the country in 2026. 

The 2023 edition, hosted by the PCB, was held in a “hybrid model” as India refused to travel to Pakistan and played their matches in Sri Lanka.

India are the defending Asia Cup champions, and have won three of the last four editions of the tournament. They beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final of last year’s 50-overs edition in Colombo.


US tariff to have ‘mixed’ impact on Pakistan’s exports— financial analysts 

Updated 03 April 2025
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US tariff to have ‘mixed’ impact on Pakistan’s exports— financial analysts 

  • United States is Pakistan’s largest export destination, importing $5.44 billion of Pakistan’s goods last year
  • Analysts say Pakistani exports will become cheaper than those offered by countries hit harder by tariffs

KARACHI: The impact of US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a reciprocal tariff of 29 percent on Pakistan’s exports is likely to have a “mixed” impact, financial analysts said on Thursday, pointing out that the wide-ranging tariffs will make exports offered by Islamabad’s rivals also costlier. 
Trump announced the decision to impose sanctions on several countries on Wednesday, defending the measures as necessary to address long-standing trade imbalances and what he described as unfair treatment of American goods abroad.
The US is Pakistan’s largest export destination, as it imported $5.44 billion of Pakistani goods last year, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. This fiscal year from July through February Pakistan earned $4 billion from its exports to the US, which registered a 10 percent increase over its $3.63 billion exports to the country in the same period last year. 
“The impact of these tariffs is expected to be mixed on Pakistan’s exports,” Samiullah Tariq, the group head of research and product development at the Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company Ltd., told Arab News. 
Last year, Pakistan’s total exports rose 11 percent to $30.7 billion from $27.7 billion compared to 2023, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
Tariq said Pakistani goods would become cheaper than those offered by Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, on whom the Trump administration imposed higher tariffs. 
However, he explained that countries such as India, Jordan, Turkiye and certain Central American nations had been targeted with comparatively lower tariffs, making Pakistani goods costlier. 
 Washington has imposed tariffs of 37 percent, 34 percent, 46 percent and 49 percent on Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, respectively. It targeted India, Jordan and Turkiye with tariffs of 26 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent respectively. 
 
“Duties imposed on China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh are higher than Pakistan, while duties imposed on India are 300bps lower than Pakistan,” Topline Securities, a Karachi-based brokerage firm, noted in a report to clients.

TEXTILE TO TAKE A HIT

However, Sana Tawfiq, the head of research at Arif Habib Ltd. said the tariff would test the mettle of Pakistan’s export sector. 

“About 90 percent of our total exports to the US account for textiles that are expected to take a hit,” she told Arab News. 

She said some food and cement industries are also expected to “feel the pressure.”

“To mitigate the impact, Pakistan must adopt a reciprocal and strategic approach, including reducing energy costs, negotiating tariff relief, and diversifying trade markets,” Tawfiq noted. 

Topline Securities also said Pakistani textile exports may bear the brunt of the tariff imposition. 

“Theoretically, due to Pakistan’s duty disadvantage with India, Pakistan textile exports may face some pressure,” the brokerage firm said. 

Trump’s decision is expected to set back Pakistan’s efforts to revive its economy with the help of the International Monetary Fund’s bailout packages. 

The lender wants Islamabad to increase its revenues, attract foreign investments and enhance exports to cope with its longstanding balance of payment crisis.
 
Pakistan’s stock market closed Thursday’s session with the benchmark KSE-100 index gaining 0.96 percent to close at 118,938 points.
“Worries over 29 percent massive US reciprocal tariff levies on Pakistan and global equity selloff invited early session pressure,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities Ltd., told Arab News. 
Pakistan may face increased competition in Europe as countries such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, hit harder with Washington’s tariffs, are expected to divert some of their exports from the US to European countries, Topline Securities said in its report.
 
Khurram Mukhtar, the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), remained confident Pakistan would continue to enjoy a competitive edge over major textile-exporting countries to the US. 
“Despite the tariff adjustments, Pakistan will continue to maintain a competitive edge over major textile-exporting countries to the US, owing to its complete supply chain, quality standards and established trade relationships,” Mukhtar told Arab News. 


Pakistan fined again for slow ODI over-rate in New Zealand

Updated 03 April 2025
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Pakistan fined again for slow ODI over-rate in New Zealand

  • Pakistan players fined 5 percent of match fees for being one over short of target on Wednesday
  • Visiting team was two overs short, fined 10 percent after losing first ODI by 73 runs on Saturday

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Pakistan has been penalized for a slow over-rate against New Zealand in their second one-day international in Hamilton this week.

Match referee Jeff Crowe fined the Pakistan players 5 percent of their match fees after they were one over short of the target on Wednesday after the time allowances were taken into consideration. New Zealand won by 84 runs.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan “pleaded guilty to the offense and accepted the sanction, eliminating the need for a formal hearing,” the International Cricket Council said on Thursday.
It was the second consecutive match after which Pakistan was fined for a slow over-rate. 

The visiting team was two overs short of the target and fined 10 percent after losing the first ODI by 73 runs at Napier last Saturday.

The third and last ODI is at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
 


Pakistan’s inflation rate dropped to 0.7 percent in March, lowest in six decades

Updated 03 April 2025
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Pakistan’s inflation rate dropped to 0.7 percent in March, lowest in six decades

  • Pakistan’s inflation rate stood at 1.5 percent in February and at 20.7 percent during March 2024
  • Prices of fresh fruits, eggs, sugar, chicken and readymade garments increased month-on-month

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate dropped to 0.7 percent in March on a year-on-year basis, the country’s statistics bureau said on Thursday, the lowest in six decades amid signs of economic recovery. 

Pakistan’s inflation rate stood at 1.5 percent in February and 20.7 percent in March 2024, according to data shared by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in its monthly review of price indices report. 

On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 0.9 percent in March as compared to a decrease of 0.8 percent in February. It increased by 1.7 percent in March 2024.

“CPI inflation general decreased to 0.7 percent on year-on-year basis in March 2025 as compared to 1.5 percent of the previous month and 20.7 percent in March 2024,” the PBS said. 

The commodities whose prices increased month-on-month included tomatoes (36.35 percent), fresh fruits (18.66 percent), eggs (14.92 percent), sugar (11.48 percent), chicken (10.87 percent), fresh vegetables (6.13 percent), butter (2.70 percent), neat (1.60 percent) and pulse moong (0.70 percent). 

While prices of non-food items that increased month-on-month include readymade garments (2.15 percent), tailoring (1.84 percent), liquified hydrocarbons (1.83 percent), cotton cloth (1.74 percent), accommodation services (1.47 percent), hosiery (1.33 percent), education (1.23 percent) and plastic products. 

Aggressive policy rate cuts by Pakistan’s central bank and a series of economic reforms by the government have led to a substantial decline in Pakistan’s annual inflation rate.

Pakistan’s inflation rate rose to a record high of 38 percent in May 2023 on account of surging food and fuel costs as Islamabad withdrew energy and fuel subsidies under a deal agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial bailout package.

In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Shehbaz Sharif said the reduction in prices was proof of the “right direction” of the government’s economic policies. 

“Currently, the inflation rate in the country is at its lowest level in six decades,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.

“This year even during the month of Ramadan, the inflation rate was recorded at its lowest level in the last several decades,” he added.