CM Maryam says both Pakistani and Indian Punjabs should unite against smog

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday reiterated her call for climate diplomacy with India to tackle the worsening issue of smog on both sides of the border.

The New Delhi region battles pollution each year as temperatures fall and cold air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke, much of which officials say travels from the neighbouring breadbasket states of Punjab and Haryana.

On Monday night, Lahore was the most polluted city in the world, touching 708 points on the Air Quality Index (AQI). Today, according to IQAir, Delhi held the top rank with 196 points, with Lahore just six points behind it.

Addressing a Diwali event in Lahore today, Maryam said: “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.

“And if we’re also taking steps towards this, then there should be a matching response from the Indian side,” she stressed.

“The winds don’t know there’s a border in the middle,” she lightheartedly remarked before emphasising 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.

CM Maryam’s remarks today echoed her October 10 call for “climate diplomacy” with India to mitigate the impact of smog in Punjab.

Last week, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb called on Lahore residents of Lahore to “declare war on smog”. She noted that 30 per cent of the city’s smog hovered over from India.

According to a report earlier this month, at least 71 people have been arrested for burning stubble and trash, operating prohibited brick kilns and driving smoke-emitting vehicles in Punjab. In India’s Haryana state, at least 16 farmers have been arrested for illegally burning paddy stubble.

Minority Card to be launched on Dec 20

The chief minister also announced that a ‘Minority Card’ will be launched in Punjab on December 20 to aid those with less financial resources.

The statement was the first formal announcement of the initiative following a passing remark last month that the Punjab government was mulling the decision.

“All minority members across Punjab, especially poverty-stricken minorities who don’t have a lot of resources, will receive Rs10,500 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 said to a round of applause from the audience.

She went on to detail her visit to Kartarpur this year, thanking the Sikh community for the immense warmth and gratitude they showed to her.

The chief minister highlighted that should any minorities ever feel unsafe, they can dial 15 (the police helpline) for assistance.

“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 regretted.

“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,” Maryam said.

She emphasised that this was not just her constitutional responsibility as chief minister but a humanitarian one “that vulnerable sections of society feel absolutely safe”.

Maryam also announced a Rs15,000 Diwali gift being given to 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.”