Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday reiterated her proposal of “smog diplomacy” between Pakistan and India to tackle the worsening pollution on both sides of the border.
Both Lahore and New Delhi are annually among the most polluted cities of the world, with citizens on both sides of the border often accusing each other’s country for failing to curb crop stubble burning or rein in pollution. Earlier this month, Maryam had similarly called for climate diplomacy between Pakistan and India to mitigate the impact of smog on Punjab province.
Addressing an event marking Diwali in Lahore, Maryam reiterated her suggestion. “I’m thinking of writing a letter to the Punjab Chief Minister [Bhagwant Mann] in India that this is not just a political issue, this is a humanitarian issue,” she said. “And if we’re also taking steps towards this, then there should be a matching response from the Indian side,” she added.
Noting that the winds are not aware of borders, he emphasized that people of both countries would benefit if climate mitigation efforts could be achieved through diplomacy. “Until both Punjabs come together, we won’t be able to tackle the issue of smog,” she added.
Last week, after Lahore briefly crossed an Air Quality Index of 700, indicating an extremely hazardous atmosphere, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb urged residents of the provincial capital to “declare war on smog.” She said that while 30 percent of the smog was a result of prevailing winds from India, 70 percent was homegrown.
During her address, the Punjab chief minister also announced that her government would launch a “minority card” within December to facilitate non-Muslims facing financial constraints. “All minority members across Punjab, especially poverty-stricken minorities who don’t have a lot of resources, will receive Rs. 10,500 through the Minority Card,” she said.
“We will start with 50,000 people, but God willing, in the upcoming year, not only will we increase the number of beneficiaries, cards and families, but also the amount of money being given,” she vowed, adding no minority should feel unsafe or marginalized in Pakistan. “In the recent past there have been incidents with minorities that have made my head hang in shame, and it has caused me great pain to see trivial misunderstandings become full-blown fights,” she lamented.
“Because there are few minorities, it is our responsibility to provide a safe Pakistan, a safe Punjab for them so that they can stay in their houses safely, without any fear of danger, and that they feel that this is their country and they have every right to be here,” she stressed. She said this was not only her constitutional responsibility as a chief minister, but also a humanitarian demand for all “vulnerable sections of society” to feel safe and secure.
She concluded her speech by announcing a Rs. 15,000 Diwali gift for 1,400 families across Punjab. “May we all live together in peace and harmony under one flag. Once again, I wish you a happy Diwali,” she added.