ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Wednesday called for diplomacy with neighbor and arch-rival India to combat smog as both nations grapple with hazardous levels of air pollution ahead of the winter months.
Rated the world’s most polluted capital by Swiss group IQAir for four years in a row, New Delhi was the world’s second most polluted city on Wednesday, the group’s live rankings showed, followed by Lahore in neighboring Pakistan. Baghdad in Iraq was ranked number one on the list.
When cooler temperatures take hold, pollution spirals and air quality deteriorates as temperature inversion traps pollution closer to the ground, packing hospital wards in Lahore and New Delhi with patients with respiratory problems.
Rising air pollution can cut life expectancy by more than five years per person in South Asia, one of the world’s most polluted regions, according to a report published last year which flagged the growing burden of hazardous air on health.
Addressing a ceremony to mark the Hindu cultural festival of Diwali on Wednesday, the Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan and India needed to coordinate actions to temper toxic smog, which winds carry across the border.
“There is an issue of smog in Pakistan’s Punjab, especially in Lahore. So, we must do this diplomacy with India,” Sharif said. “For the health of people there [Indian Punjab], for their betterment and the betterment of our side of the border, for our health, for the health of our people, until both Punjabs take joint measures, we won’t be able to fight smog.”
The annual practice of burning crop stubble left after harvesting paddy to clear fields for wheat planting is widely blamed for toxic pollution in the region before winter, causing disruptions such as school closures and construction curbs.
But people often also flout New Delhi’s ban on smoke-emitting firecrackers, usually burnt in celebration of the Diwali festival which runs from Wednesday to Friday this year, worsening pollution.
Sharif said she was contemplating writing a letter to her Indian counterpart, Bhagwant Mann, on the issue of combating smog.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a human issue, on which if we [Pakistan] are taking steps, then the Indian side should have a matching response, the same measures should be taken there because the winds don’t know that there is a boundary in between,” Sharif added.
Relations between India and Pakistan have gone through periods of thaw but have been largely frozen since they downgraded diplomatic ties in tit-for-tat moves in 2019.
In Pakistan’s Punjab, authorities have enforced new measures to combat hazardous smog, including making mask-wearing mandatory across the city of Lahore. New, shorter school timings have also been announced in the city while student assemblies will be conducted in classrooms rather than outdoor spaces. All outdoor activities at schools have been temporarily suspended. A ban has also been imposed on fireworks in Lahore until Jan. 31, 2025.
Breathing toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the World Health Organization saying strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases can be triggered due to prolonged exposure.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, nearly 600 million children in South Asia are exposed to high levels of air pollution.
Chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab calls for diplomacy with India to tackle smog
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Chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab calls for diplomacy with India to tackle smog
- Maryam Nawaz Sharif says contemplating writing letter to Indian counterpart to seek “joint measures”
- New Delhi was world’s second most polluted city on Wednesday followed by Lahore in neighboring Pakistan
Pakistan vows action against suspects that ‘attacked’ ex-chief justice’s car in London
- Video clips show ex-PM Khan supporters in London chasing after and hitting the car of Qazi Faez Isa
- Interior minister directs Pakistan’s database registration authority to identify suspects, vows to cancel passports
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday vowed the government would identify expatriates who had “attacked” former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa’s car in London, threatening to register cases against them and cancel their Pakistani passports and identity cards.
Isa, who retired as Pakistan’s top judge last week after what is widely considered to be a controversial stint in office, arrived in London on Tuesday night to attend an event at Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers.
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had organized a protest outside the event venue ahead of the former judge’s arrival. The PTI accuses Isa of being aligned with the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, alleging that it had tried to provide an extension in office to him through a controversial constitutional amendment that was passed earlier this month. The government rejects these allegations.
Video footage widely circulated online on Tuesday evening showed angry Khan supporters running after Isa’s car in London, with a few of them hitting the vehicle with their hands before it sped away.
Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK, Dr. Mohammad Faisal, condemned the attack.
“It is condemnable, we will take action,” he told reporters in London.
State-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had “strongly condemned” the attack on Isa, who was traveling in a Pakistani High Commission vehicle in London.
Naqvi urged Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to identify the suspects through available footage and vowed that cases would be registered against them in Pakistan.
“Naqvi stated that the attackers’ ID cards and passports will be blocked,” APP said. “Immediate action would be taken to revoke their citizenship.”
Naqvi said the ministry would seek the federal cabinet’s approval in revoking the alleged attackers’ citizenships.
“He also questioned why security was not provided to Qazi Faez Isa despite the fact that he was receiving threats,” APP said.
It was under Isa’s tenure as chief justice that Pakistan’s top court denied Khan’s PTI its iconic bat symbol ahead of Feb. 8 general elections, saying the party had failed to hold intra-party elections. The verdict meant all PTI candidates had to contest elections as independents, which angered Khan supporters, who accused Isa of being biased in favor of the Sharif government.
Khan, arguably Pakistan’s most popular, was ousted from office after a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022 and has since waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military, government and what his party considers pro-establishment judges.
Khan has been in prison since August 2023 after being convicted on several charges ranging from corruption to treason that he says are politically motivated.
Islamabad, Baku seek deeper military ties during Azerbaijan visit by top Pakistani general
- General Shamshad Mirza meets Azerbaijan president to discuss regional security dynamics
- Pakistan has always been vocal in its support for Azerbaijan in its conflict against rival Armenia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on Wednesday discussed enhancing defense ties and the evolving regional dynamics as he met Azerbaijan’s president and its senior civil and military leadership during his visit to the country, the army’s media wing said.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan have been enjoying cordial diplomatic ties since 1992, with the two countries having a shared history of cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, defense, and energy.
In July, both governments signed 15 agreements in various fields including transit trade, mineral resources and tourism during Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s two-day visit to the South Asian country.
“During the interaction, both sides appreciated deep and historic relations between the two countries and discussed matters of mutual interest including evolving security dynamics of the region and enhancement of existing defense ties in multiple domains,” the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Mirza met Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Col. General Hasanov Zakir Asgar, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Aziz Oghlu Bayramov, Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of General Staff Col. General Karim Tofig Oghlu Valiyev and the Defense Industry Minister Vugar Mustafayev, the ISPR added.
Highlighting the importance of military cooperation between both countries, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment toward peace and stability, the army’s media wing said.
Azerbaijan’s leadership appreciated the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan’s armed forces and their professionalism, the ISPR said.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan have a history of military and defense cooperation. In 2021, Pakistan participated in an eight-day joint military drill with Azerbaijan and Turkiye as part of their tripartite military cooperation agreement.
Pakistan was also among two countries that provided support to Azerbaijan during the 44-day-long Second Karabakh War from September to November 2020, in which Azerbaijan fought against Armenian armed forces until the conclusion of a Russia-brokered truce.
Saudi minister announces $2.2 billion investment deals with Pakistan enhanced to $2.8 billion
- The deals between Saudi and Pakistani companies were signed during Saudi investment minister’s visit to Islamabad earlier this month
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this year reaffirmed his commitment to expedite $5 billion investment package for Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Minister for Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih said on Wednesday $2.2 billion in agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between Saudi and Pakistani businesses earlier this month had been enhanced to $2.8 billion.
The business-to-business collaborations were signed on Oct. 10 during Al-Falih’s visit to Islamabad with a delegation of top investors and entrepreneurs from the Kingdom.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is currently on a two-day visit to Riyadh where he attended the Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum on Tuesday and also held a bilateral meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who earlier this year reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to expedite a $5 billion investment package for Pakistan.
“When we came to Pakistan, we concluded in three days 27 MoUs valued at $2.2 billion,” Al-Falih said in a televised press talk with Sharif.
“And I mentioned during that time at various events that this was only the beginning. To prove that, here we are two or three weeks later, and I would like that that number has increased from 27 MoUs and agreements to 34 MoUs.
“So, we have been able to add another seven, almost two per week. And I think more importantly, the value of those agreements has also increased to $2.8 billion.”
The Saudi minister said five agreements signed during his trip to Pakistan were already operational and had resulted in exports from the South Asian state to the Kingdom. Al-Falih said Saudi Arabia would also absorb a greater and more qualified Pakistani workforce, especially in the health sector, in the foreseeable future.
“Remittances back to Pakistan will be on the rise,” the official said. “The first results will be seen in the next few weeks.”
Al-Falih said Saudi Arabia would also seek help from Pakistani technology firms to transform the way digital artificial intelligence was used for business and the economy.
Sharif thanked the Saudi government, especially Crown Prince Mohammed, for helping Pakistan secure a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program last month by helping Islamabad meet its external financing needs.
The PM added that he planned to return to Saudi Arabia next month for more discussions on bilateral engagements.
“Together we are marching forward, together we are strengthening our brotherly relations,” he said.
The Pakistani PM’s visit takes place at a time when Islamabad is seeking to strengthen trade and investment ties with friendly nations, particularly the Kingdom, which has promised a $5 billion investment package that cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs to shore up its dwindling foreign reserves and fight a chronic balance of payment crisis.
PM Sharif to visit Qatar today amid trade, investment push by Islamabad
- In 2022, Qatar Investment Authority said it aimed to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, lending support to its cash-strapped economy
- During a visit to Qatar in 2022, Sharif invited Qatar’s $450 billion sovereign wealth fund to invest in energy and aviation sectors
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to Qatar from Oct. 30-31 to discuss bilateral ties with a special focus on trade and investment, the Pakistani foreign office said on Wednesday.
In 2022, the Qatar Investment Authority said it aimed to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, lending support to the South Asian nation’s cash-strapped economy. Doha has also shown interest in airport management partnership and the Roosevelt Hotel in New York’s Manhattan owned by the Pakistan International Airlines.
During a visit to Qatar in 2022, Sharif, then in his first term as PM, invited QIA, Qatar’s $450 billion sovereign wealth fund, to invest in Pakistan’s energy and aviation sectors. He had previously mentioned renewable energy, food security, industrial and infrastructure development, tourism and hospitality, among sectors of interest.
“In Doha, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar and H.E. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Prime Minister / Minister for Foreign Affairs,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“In these meetings, the two sides will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explore new of cooperation especially in trade and investment.”
Delegations from the Qatar Investment Authority and Qatar Businessmen Association will also call on Sharif to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan, the foreign office added.
Sharif will also inaugurate the cultural exhibition, “Manzar: Art and Architecture in Pakistan from 1940 to Present,” on October 31.
“The exhibition will showcase Pakistan’s rich cultural and architectural heritage and underline deep people-to-people linkages between Pakistan and Qatar,” the foreign office said.
Pakistan dispatches firefighters to combat Koh-e-Sulaiman forest blaze in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Two years ago, a significant fire broke out in the same mountain range in Balochistan that lasted for two weeks
- The fire that burnt over 100,000 pine nut trees damaged people’s livelihood and was extinguished with Iranian help
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistan dispatched a 16-member team of firefighters to respond to a blaze in the pine nut forests of the Koh-e-Sulaiman range in the Darazinda subdivision on Wednesday, according to a statement circulated by Rescue 1122, the country’s premier emergency response service.
This is not the first such incident in the region’s pine nut forests. A significant fire broke out in the Sherani district, part of the same range that straddles Pakistan’s western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in May 2022.
The blaze lasted over two weeks, destroying a large portion of the ancient pine nut trees, with reports suggesting over 100,000 trees were burned, causing significant damage to the local ecosystem.
Rescue 1122 said in a statement it constituted the firefighting team and immediately dispatched it to the area upon receiving information about the latest fire.
“The rescue team has been equipped with all necessary firefighting gear, including fire extinguishers, personal protective equipment and other essential items required for working in mountainous areas,” the statement said.
“In such emergencies, methods like smoldering and starvation are employed to extinguish the fire, which involves cutting off the fire’s access to oxygen and fuel,” it added.
The rescue service explained such firefighting approach is used in areas where it is impossible to reach with fire trucks or tenders due to the high mountains, requiring firefighters to travel long distances on foot to implement the strategy based on the site’s conditions.
The 2022 fire in the Sherani district in Balochistan prompted Pakistan to seek assistance from Iran, which sent an air tanker to help extinguish the flames.
Such recurrent fires highlight the vulnerability of the region, where pine nut forests are not only ecologically valuable but also provide a livelihood for many locals.
Rescue 1122 noted that its Dera Ismail Khan team previously helped extinguish the fire in the Koh-e-Sulaiman mountain range within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region before assisting in firefighting efforts in Balochistan.
The team participated in the operation for several days alongside Rescue 1122 emergency response groups from Tank, Lakki Marwat and Bannu the statement added.
