Air pollution and politics pose cross-border challenges in Pakistan, India

People visiting the Akshardham temple are visible through a thick smog in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP)
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Updated 21 January 2024
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Air pollution and politics pose cross-border challenges in Pakistan, India

  • Toxic smog has sickened tens of thousands of people in Lahore in recent months
  • Experts demand greater cooperation among Pakistan, Bangladesh and India on smog

LAHORE, Pakistan: The air smells burnt in Lahore, a city in Pakistan’s east that used to be famous for its gardens but has become infamous for its terrible air quality.
Toxic smog has sickened tens of thousands of people in recent months. Flights have been canceled. Artificial rain was deployed last December to battle smog, a national first. Nothing seems to be working.
Lahore is in an airshed, an area where pollutants from industry, transportation and other human activities get trapped because of local weather and topography so they cannot disperse easily. Airsheds also contribute to cross-border pollution. Under certain wind conditions, 30 percent of pollution in the Indian capital New Delhi can come from Pakistan’s Punjab province, where Lahore is the capital. There are six major airsheds in South Asia, home to many of the world’s worst polluted cities.
Experts are calling for greater cross-border cooperation among countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and India to address air pollution together rather than working in silos on a city-by-city basis. But it’s a tall order when political relations in the region are fraught.
Ties between India and Pakistan are broken. Their interactions are riddled with animosity and suspicion. They have fought three wars, built up their armies and developed nuclear weapons. Travel restrictions and hostile bureaucracies largely keep people from crossing the border for leisure, study and work, although the countries make exceptions for religious pilgrimages.
“There’s a recognition among the technical and scientific community that air pollution doesn’t need a visa to travel across borders,” said Pakistani analyst Abid Suleri, from the nonprofit Sustainable Development Policy Institute. The culprits and problems are the same on both sides of the India-Pakistan border, he said, so it makes no sense for one province to implement measures if a neighboring province across the border isn’t adopting the same practices.
Regional and international forums offer opportunities for candid discussions about air pollution, even if governments aren’t working together directly or publicly, Suleri said, adding that countries should treat air pollution as a year-round problem, rather than a seasonal one arriving with cold weather.
“Airshed management needs a regional plan,” he said. “But 2024 is an election year in India and Pakistan, and government-to-government cooperation hasn’t reached that level.”
Pakistan is weeks away from voting in national parliamentary elections. So far, only the former foreign minister and political party leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has pledged heavy investment in climate adaptability, following record-breaking floods that killed more than 1,700 people.
In India, air pollution doesn’t figure as a core issue that people would vote on, said Bhargav Krishna, a fellow at the New Delhi-based Sustainable Futures Collaborative think-tank. But the experience or impact of climate change could make people think about how they vote.
Krishna said that regional elections sometimes see air pollution-related promises. “It was a feature of every party’s election manifesto in the New Delhi elections in 2020,” he noted.
According to the World Bank, a regional airshed management policy would involve countries agreeing to set common air quality targets and measures that everyone can implement, meeting regularly to share their experiences and, if possible, setting common air quality standards.
The global body said almost 93 percent of Pakistanis are exposed to severe pollution levels. In India, it’s 96 percent of the population. More than 1.5 billion people are exposed to high concentrations of air pollution in these two countries alone. It estimates around 220,000 deaths a year in Pakistan’s Punjab can be attributed to causes related to bad air.
Gray haze hangs pall-like over Punjab’s homes, mosques, schools, streets and farmland. There are 6.7 million vehicles on Lahore’s roads every day. Construction, emissions and waste are rife. There is scant visibility at major intersections after dark. Smog shrouds landmarks like the Mughal-era Badshahi Mosque.
The shopping website Daraz has reported a spike in searches for air purifiers and face masks since last October, especially in Punjab.
Pulmonologist Dr. Khawar Abbas Chaudhry laments the deterioration of Lahore, which he describes as a “once beautiful” city. The hospital where he works is part of the Bill Gates-backed Evercare Group that has hospitals in the region, including India and Bangladesh, and in East Africa.
Chaudhry says he has seen a 100 percent increase of patients sickened with respiratory illnesses this winter. He attributes this rise to air pollution.
There are forums within Evercare to discuss issues like air pollution, and he and colleagues, including those from India, talk about smog’s health impact. But this dialogue is only happening within one institution.
“Countries, governments, departments need to be involved,” said Chaudhry. “They need to meet regularly. Ultimately, people need to reach out and that could put some pressure on movers and shakers on both sides of the border.”
Pratima Singh, a senior research scientist at Bengaluru-based Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, has researched air pollution in India for over a decade.
She said South Asian countries could emulate the European Union model of collaboration to deal with pollution challenges, formalize new policies and share data and best practices.
After India launched its National Clean Air Programme in 2019, authorities quickly found it was crucial for cities to understand what was happening in surrounding areas — and the boundary kept expanding. “Everyone started realizing that airshed management is essential if we want to actually solve the problem,” Singh said.
The director of Punjab’s Environment Protection Department, Syed Naseem Ur Rehman Shah, is proud of local achievements to fight air pollution. Emissions from industry and brick kilns are under control, farmers can soon buy subsidized machinery to end the menace of crop stubble burning, and there is a drive toward getting electric three-wheeled tuk-tuks, motorbikes and buses on the roads, he said.
Although things are getting better, Shah said it will take time.
He has gone to India to discuss climate change and said a regional body, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, provides opportunities for countries to talk about air pollution. But he acknowledges the absence of formal cooperation at a ministerial level with India.
A screen in a monitoring room, called the Smog Cell, showed Pakistan’s Air Quality Index to be higher than China’s that day. Shah said the province only exceeds World Health Organization-recommended levels for PM2.5 — fine particulate matter that can be inhaled. Everything else about the air quality is within parameters, he said.
His assessment is of little consolation to Pakistani poet and former ambassador Ata ul Haq Qasmi, who is in Evercare for respiratory issues exacerbated by air pollution. “If my friends aren’t in hospital, they should be,” he said. “You only have to step outside for it (the smog) to grab you.”


Pakistan chosen for WHO program offering free cancer drugs for children

Updated 12 June 2025
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Pakistan chosen for WHO program offering free cancer drugs for children

  • Health ministry says Pakistan will start getting free medicines from next year
  • Each year, more than 8,000 children in Pakistan are diagnosed with cancer

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been selected to join a global initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that will provide free, essential cancer medicines for children starting this year, the country’s health ministry said on Thursday.

The program, known as the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, aims to improve survival rates among children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries by ensuring reliable and equitable access to life-saving drugs.

“It is a matter of pride that Pakistan has been selected for this program in 2025,” Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said in the statement. “This is a major milestone in ensuring free cancer medicines for children next year.”

Each year, more than 8,000 children in Pakistan are diagnosed with cancer, he continued. However, many are unable to receive timely or effective treatment due to limited drug availability, high costs and weak health care infrastructure.

The health minister noted that a large number of children die as a result of these gaps.

Kamal emphasized that Pakistan would fully utilize the support provided through the platform, calling it a unique opportunity to address local health challenges using global resources.

“Through this program, Pakistan can access international support to overcome domestic challenges in delivering timely and effective treatment,” he said.

The global platform, launched in 2022, is backed by a $200 million commitment from St. Jude and operates in coordination with WHO.

It supports countries in developing sustainable supply chains, treatment protocols and health care capacity to address childhood cancers. Pakistan is among a growing list of countries to be included as the platform scales up its outreach.


Family of detained Baloch rights activist moves Supreme Court against her arrest

Updated 12 June 2025
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Family of detained Baloch rights activist moves Supreme Court against her arrest

  • Dr. Mahrang Baloch has been held in a Quetta prison since she was arrested on March 22
  • She published a letter from jail in a US magazine, saying ‘speaking for justice is not a crime’

ISLAMABAD: The family of a detained Pakistani Baloch rights activists, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, filed a petition in Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking to overturn a provincial court ruling that upheld her arrest under public order laws, according to a local media report.

Baloch, a physician and a civil society activists, has been held at Quetta’s Hudda District Jail since March 22 after she participated in protests following a separatist militant attack on a passenger train in Balochistan.

She was arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, a move her supporters described as part of a broader crackdown on nonviolent dissent in the restive province.

The petition, filed by her sister, argues that the detention is arbitrary and aimed at silencing peaceful activism.

“Nadia Bal­och, the sister of Dr. Mah­­rang Baloch, urged the Supreme Court on Wed­­nesday to set aside the April 15 order of the Balo­ch­istan High Court that rej­ected the plea against her detention under the Main­tenance of Public Order,” the English-language newspaper Dawn quoted from the petition.

The detained activist, who leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, also published a letter from prison in the US-based Time magazine this week, in which she asserted that “speaking up for justice is not a crime.”
Pakistani authorities have accused Baloch of promoting the narrative of separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in public. However, her letter in the American magazine maintained the officials had not provided any evidence of her links with BLA or any other militant group while criticizing the authorities for blurring the line between militancy and peaceful protest.

Earlier this year, the Balochistan High Court dismissed Baloch’s initial challenge to her detention, advising her to seek administrative remedies instead of judicial relief.

Her sister’s petition has now asked the apex court to suspend that ruling and review whether constitutional protections such as habeas corpus were ignored in the previous judicial decision.
The Supreme Court has yet to announce when it will take up the case for hearing.
 


Pakistan urges global protection for Gaza’s children on World Day Against Child Labor

Updated 12 June 2025
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Pakistan urges global protection for Gaza’s children on World Day Against Child Labor

  • President Zardari says children in conflict zones need global aid, protection and justice
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif also calls for stricter enforcement of existing laws against child labor

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday called for urgent international support for children in Gaza, warning that thousands face displacement, hunger and heightened risks of forced labor amid ongoing conflict.

The appeal was made by President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement issued on the World Day Against Child Labor, observed annually on June 12. He said children living in war zones must be at the center of the global child protection agenda.

“These children urgently need global aid, protection and justice,” Zardari said. “In conflict-affected regions such as Gaza, thousands of innocent children have been displaced, injured or orphaned by violence. Many face hunger, trauma and the risk of falling into child labor.”

While reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating child labor domestically, the president urged governments, rights defenders, media, religious leaders and philanthropists to come together and protect vulnerable children everywhere.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a separate message, said Pakistan “stands shoulder to shoulder with the international community in the fight against child labor,” but noted that implementation gaps still exist.

“This day is a reminder that we must continue striving toward a future where every child grows up in a safe and prosperous environment,” he said.

Officials say child labor remains widespread in Pakistan, especially in rural and informal sectors, depriving millions of education and exposing them to exploitation.

Sharif urged stricter enforcement of existing laws, which prohibit child labor under Pakistan’s constitution and several key statutes.

Zardari emphasized that while Pakistan has introduced reforms and protection systems, including the National Commission on the Rights of the Child and child welfare bureaus, lasting change requires collective action.

“Child labor is a global challenge,” he said. “Governments and societies must work together to protect children from exploitation and ensure they grow up in dignity.”


Pakistani PM in UAE for high-level talks with President Sheikh Mohamed

Updated 47 min 17 sec ago
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Pakistani PM in UAE for high-level talks with President Sheikh Mohamed

  • Leaders will discuss “wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and concern”
  • Latest visit marks another step in Islamabad’s ongoing efforts to deepen strategic ties with Gulf partners

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on a “range of bilateral, regional and global issues,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said. 

Sharif’s last visit to the UAE was in February to attend the World Government Summit in Dubai and meet President Sheikh Mohamed.

The latest visit marks another step in Islamabad’s ongoing efforts to deepen strategic ties with Gulf partners, particularly as Pakistan looks to attract foreign investment and bolster regional economic integration.

“Sharif will hold high-level meetings with the UAE leadership, including a bilateral meeting with President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi,” the PM’s office said. 

“A wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and concern will be discussed during the high-level interactions.”

The statement added that the visit would serve to “further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the UAE, deepen economic ties, and foster multifaceted collaboration.”

Pakistan and the UAE maintain close cooperation across a broad range of areas including trade, investment, energy, defense, and diaspora engagement. Approximately 1.5 million Pakistanis reside in the UAE, the second largest expatriate group after Indians. It is also the second largest source of remittances to Pakistan after Saudi Arabia, sending $754.2 million home in May, according to central bank data released this week. 

The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the Gulf and a major source of foreign remittances. High-level exchanges between the two nations have increased in recent years, with both countries expressing interest in expanding collaboration in renewable energy, infrastructure development, and regional security.

In May 2024, the UAE said it had committed $10 billion to invest in promising economic sectors in Pakistan. The investment pledge came after a meeting between Sharif, then on a two-day visit to the UAE, and President Sheikh Mohamed.

Pakistan needs foreign investment to boost its economy and shore up its currency reserves to meet rising external repayment obligations as it treads a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion IMF bailout deal.

The latest UAE visit also comes weeks after Pakistan engaged in its worst military conflict in decades with arch-rival India, in which the two nations exchanged drones, missiles, and artillery strikes between May 7-10 before a ceasefire was announced. Though the US was the main broker, it is believed that Gulf partners like Saudi Arabia and UAE also mediated in the crisis. 


‘Bellicose punchlines’: Islamabad slams India’s top diplomat over anti-Pakistan remarks in Brussels

Updated 12 June 2025
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‘Bellicose punchlines’: Islamabad slams India’s top diplomat over anti-Pakistan remarks in Brussels

  • Subrahmanyam Jaishankar accused Pakistan of sponsoring ‘terrorism,’ asserted New Delhi’s right to retaliate
  • Foreign office says India should raise the quality of its discourse instead of remaining ‘obsessed with Pakistan’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday criticized Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar for “producing bellicose punchlines” after he made a series of statements during his visit to Brussels, accusing Islamabad of sponsoring “terrorism” and asserting New Delhi reserved the right to retaliate against militant attacks.
The comments come in the wake of a recent military standoff between the nuclear-armed neighbors, involving the exchange of fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery fire. Both countries have since launched parallel diplomatic offensives, dispatching delegations to major world capitals to present their versions of events.
New Delhi suspended a longstanding river water-sharing treaty following a gun attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that it blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any involvement, calling for an impartial international probe before India decided to launch missiles to target what it called was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan.
A US-brokered ceasefire was announced by President Donald Trump on May 10, followed by Pakistan’s call for a “composite dialogue” with its neighboring state which New Delhi has so far resisted.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the irresponsible remarks made by the External Affairs Minister of India during different media engagements in Brussels,” the foreign office said in a strongly worded statement.
“The discourse of top diplomats should aim to promote peace and harmony, rather than producing bellicose punchlines,” it continued. “The tone and tenor of a Foreign Minister should be commensurate with his dignified status.”
The ministry accused India of waging a years-long “malicious campaign” aimed at misleading the global community with a “fictitious narrative of victimhood,” adding that such rhetoric cannot conceal what it described as India’s own “sponsorship of terrorism beyond its borders” or its “state-sanctioned oppression” in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
“India must also desist from concocting misleading narratives to justify its recent aggressive actions,” the statement said. “Pakistan believes in peaceful coexistence, dialogue and diplomacy. However, it stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any aggression, as exemplified by its robust response to India’s reckless strikes last month.”
Calling India’s recent remarks a sign of “sheer frustration” after what it termed an “unsuccessful military adventure,” Islamabad said Indian leaders should focus on improving the quality of their discourse rather than remaining “obsessed with Pakistan.”
“The history will judge not by who shouted the loudest but by who acted the wisest,” it added.