3 weeks ago
Last Updated:October 30, 2024, 21:34 IST
Maryam Nawaz repeated calls for "smog diplomacy" with India over rising pollution and said she was thinking of writing a letter to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.
Maryam Nawaz said she was thinking of writing to Punjab CM to combat smog issues affecting India and Pakistan. (Reuters)
Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province Maryam Nawaz has reiterated calls for “Anti-Pollution Diplomacy” with neighbouring India, saying the humanitarian issue requires “joint action” from the neighbours as both countries are grappling with increased smog, particularly during the festival of Diwali.
Speaking at a Diwali event in Lahore on Wednesday, Maryam suggested that she may write to her Indian counterpart Bhagwant Mann, reiterating her commitment to “smog diplomacy”, Dawn reported. Her statements come as Lahore was classified as the most polluted city in the world by Air Quality Index (AQI) recently.
“We need to have diplomacy with India regarding the issue of smog in Lahore. 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 at the Lahore event. “And if we’re also taking steps towards this, then there should be a matching response from the Indian side.”
Why The Need For India-Pakistan Smog-plomacy?
Punjab province in Pakistan and Punjab state along with many other areas in northwest India face massive air pollution during smog months from October to February every year. Lahore and New Delhi regularly feature in the list of most polluted cities in the world during this season when farmers resort to burning crop residue ahead of preparation for the winter crop.
“The winds don’t know there’s a border in the middle,” Maryam remarked before asserting that the people and environment on both sides of the border will benefit from this diplomacy. “Until both Punjabs come together, we won’t be able to tackle the issue of smog,” she said.
Smog – the moniker for combination of smoke and fog – is a specific phenomenon that occurs when certain polluting microparticles mix with cold, moist air and hang close to the ground, reducing visibility and causing health issues.
Maryam’s Second Call For ‘Climate Diplomacy’ With India
Maryam made a similar appeal for “climate diplomacy” with India on October 10 to mitigate the impact of smog in both countries. Maryam said that every home, every child, must understand the importance of ending smog. “Ending smog is a matter of our children’s health and survival,” she said and added that smog cannot be eliminated by just pressing a button, “it requires collective efforts.”
Earlier last year, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had said that the Pakistani government would take up the stubble-burning matter with Indian Punjab.
Relations between India and Pakistan have largely remained frozen after they downgraded ties over Jammu and Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019. However, the ice broke when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Islamabad to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on October 15-16.
(with agency inputs)
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Location :Lahore, Pakistan
First Published:October 30, 2024, 21:34 IST
News world 'Not A Political Issue': Pakistan's Maryam Nawaz Again Calls for ‘Smog Diplomacy’ With India
