Lahore | Pakistan

Air pollution across Punjab has surged to life-threatening levels, with Lahore once again emerging as one of the most polluted cities in the world.

Air pollution in Lahore and several other Punjab cities has reached dangerous levels, with air quality indices (AQI) entering the hazardous zone.

Lahore continues to grapple with dangerously high levels of air pollution, ranking as the second most polluted city in the world, according to global environmental monitoring data.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the Punjab Wildlife Department to submit a report on the demolition of a pet market in the walled city within 30 days and decide on a framework to prevent such incidents from occurring again, according to the lawyer who filed the petition with the court. A demolition operation was carried out at a bird market in Lahore’s Bhati Chowk area, near Data Darbar last Friday by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), with shopkeepers accusing the Punjab government of killing dozens of birds and other caged pets; allegations the government has denied. This incident led to public outrage as the animals were not moved during the demolition. Animal rights lawyer Altamush Saeed filed a petition with the LHC on Saturday, naming the Punjab government, the Punjab Wildlife and Fisheries Department and the LDA, as respondents. A press release stated that the court ordered the Wildlife Department to submit a “comprehensive report” on the matter. It added that LHC Judge Shehram Sarwa...

Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra, a human rights activist, poet and education expert, died on Monday. The author’s niece, Ameena Kamal, confirmed to Dawn that Zehra had passed in Lahore at age 83. “Dr Arfa will be buried in her family graveyard, Cavalry Ground, Lahore, tomorrow, and the time of her funeral will be announced at a later time,” Kamal said. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed “profound grief” over the educationist’s passing, the PPP posted on the social media platform X. “The demise of Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra is an irreparable loss for Pakistan’s academic and literary circles,” he said, adding that the intellectual had dedicated her life to knowledge, research, and service to humanity. He said she had “set a shining example”, adding, “Her scholarly contributions and efforts for the promotion of the national language will always be remembered.” Zardari expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the deceased’s family, students, and academic community. Dr Zehra was recognised for her knowledge of Urdu litera...

The smog crisis in Punjab continues to worsen, with Lahore’s air quality reaching dangerously high pollution levels once again.

A demolition operation carried out at a bird market in Lahore’s Bhati Chowk area, near Data Darbar, has become mired in controversy, with shopkeepers accusing the Punjab government of killing dozens of birds and other caged pets, allegations the government has denied. The operation was conducted on Wednesday morning by joint teams of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) to launch the Bhaati Chowk remodeling project, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and control pollution. “The market consisted of a total of 149 shops, including some tuck (pan) shops. Around 13 to 14 [shops] were situated in the front, where the shopkeepers were able to take out the birds and cages late at night. The other shopkeepers could not do this since they closed the shops in the evening as per routine,“ Bahu Khan, Lahore Bhaati bird association office bearer told Dawn. “Thus, all birds (parrots, sparrows, etc) were buried to death after the field operation teams raise...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has issued a clarification regarding the Lahore–Jeddah flight that made an unscheduled landing in Karachi early Thursday morning, emphasizing that the decision was taken purely as a precautionary measure after the pilot noticed cracks in the aircraft’s windshield during.

Lahore woke up to a pleasant change in weather on Monday, as temperatures dipped and a refreshing chill settled over the city.

The air quality in Lahore showed signs of improvement on Wednesday, with a significant drop in smog as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 163, according to air monitoring data.

Ticket holders and office bearers of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) from central Punjab and Lahore on Tuesday announced that they were severing ties with the now-banned organisation, stating that they were “standing with the state”. On Friday, all election ticket holders of the TLP from south Punjab announced that they had left the party, accusing it of pursuing an anti-state agenda that “aligns with the country’s enemies”. In a press conference at the Lahore Press Club today, multiple TLP ticket holders and office bearers announced their decision to step away from the religiopolitical group, with lawyer Usman Khizr Mangat saying that one can engage in politics within the state, but not against it. “Violence and mobs cannot create an impact by attacking the state,” he said. “Pakistan saw how these people carried out attacks. The government tried to start a dialogue, but the demands laid out were not accepted. “The state is like a mother, it tried to negotiate for six, seven days constantly with these pe...

An election tribunal has dismissed a petition challenging the victory of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz from PP-159, Lahore, it emerged on Monday. PTI-backed independent candidate Mehar Sharafat had filed the petition, claiming that he initially emerged victorious in the constituency based on the Form 45 results. The tribunal was presided over by retired justice Rana Zahid Mahmood. He alleged that the results were later manipulated using Form 47 to declare Maryam the victor. He had asked the tribunal to set aside Maryam’s victory notification and declare him a returned candidate. Maryam had secured 23,598 and Sharafat obtained 21,491 votes in the Feb 8 general election. An order of the election tribunal dated October 21 emerged today, which said that the counsel for the petitioner advanced “very short arguments … and it is important to mention that his arguments are general in nature with regard to allegations of corruption and corrupt practices during the election process in the constituency concerned, h...

Three people lost their lives in a tragic road accident after a speeding dumper truck rammed into a motorcycle in Lahore’s Defense Phase 6 area on Saturday.

The persistent smog crisis continues to blanket South Asia, with Lahore and New Delhi recording dangerously high air pollution levels, posing severe health risks to millions of residents across the region.

Senior PTI leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was hospitalised at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute in Lahore for gallbladder stone complications, his daughter stated on Friday. Shah Mahmood has been indicted in multiple cases pertaining to the May 9, 2023 riots and has remained behind bars since August 2023. In July 2024, the PTI leader was indicted by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in a case registered by the Shadman police over allegedly attacking and burning the police station. Meher Bano Qureshi took to X today to announce that the PTI leader was undergoing baseline tests for the stones, which he had “lived with … for years”. “In 2023, while incarcerated in Adiala Jail, doctors had advised surgery after his condition deteriorated. He chose not to undergo any procedures, then unwilling to do so while in solitary confinement,” she wrote. “Since then, the stones have increased in size and surgery is now unavoidable. We await the doctors’ final report and a confirmed date for the op...

A Lahore court on Friday extended the physical remand of six National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) officials by another three days in a case pertaining to the alleged misuse of authority, extortion of money, and acceptance of bribes. The first information report (FIR) of the case was registered with the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore on the complaint of Aroob Jatoi, the wife of YouTuber Saadur Rehman alias Ducky Bhai, who has been arrested in a case pertaining to promoting gambling apps on social media. The FIR was registered against a total of nine individuals, including eight NCCIA officials. Among them, the six remanded in the FIA custody were said to be missing for several days before the FIA announced their arrest on Monday. Lahore NCCIA’s Additional Director Sarfraz Chaudhry, Lahore NCCIA Deputy Director (acting in-charge) Zawar Ahmad, Lahore NCCIA Sub-Inspector Ali Raza, Lahore NCCIA Assistant Director Shoaib Riaz, Lahore NCCIA Sub-Inspector Yasir Ramzan and Lahore NCCIA Assistant Direct...

Lahore continued to rank as the most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality, global monitor IQAir said on Wednesday. A day ago, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a severe peak of 422 but dropped to 341 today — still categorised as “hazardous” — keeping it at the top of the list of cities with the poorest air quality. Behind the Punjab capital in the rankings were New Delhi with an AQI score of 232, Beijing at 222, Kinshasa and Kathmandu at 155 each, and Karachi at 140. The Punjab government has taken notice of the situation and raised a high alert, including revising school timings across the province to begin at 8:35am. In response to the crisis, the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has also launched a large-scale anti-smog operation, deploying 16 mechanical washers, 50 regular washers, and 400 workers for road washing and water sprinkling. Meanwhile, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, in a statement, praised the efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in handling the...

At least six suspects were killed in four separate encounters with the Crime Control Department (CCD) in different locations of Lahore late on Monday, the CCD said on Tuesday. Earlier this year, the Punjab government launched the CCD with a mandate to tackle organised crime, terrorism, and high-profile criminal gangs. Recently, the body has carried out a range of encounters. Officials have publicly praised the department for its successes, claiming it has “significantly reduced street crime and targeted major criminal figures.” As per a statement issued by the department’s spokesperson today, “CCD teams conducted four different encounters in Lahore’s Nishtar Colony, Green Town, Harbanspura, and Ring Road, where six suspects were killed.” In the first instance, in Nishtar Colony, the CCD team came under attack while they were out to arrest the suspects, the statement said. “An exchange of fire ensued, leaving two suspects dead by their associates’ fire,” the CCD said, adding that the “deceased had been involve...

Lahore once again ranked as the world’s most polluted city, recording an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 308, as smog continued to blanket Punjab and other parts of the country.

• Citywide AQI hits 412; PM2.5 concentrations far above safe limits • Citizens urged to wear masks, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity • PDMA says smog intensity expected to rise from Nov to mid-Dec • Govt imposes blanket ban on stubble, solid waste, plastic burning LAHORE: Lahore has ranked as the world’s most polluted city for the past three days, with air quality plummeting to hazardous levels as smog blanketed the city and the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 412, prompting health warnings and a province-wide crackdown on pollution sources. Data revealed that Lower Mall was the worst-affected neighbourhood, with an AQI of 680, followed by Iqbal Town (577), Syed Maratib Ali Road (543), Shadman (507), the Punjab University area (506), and Shalimar (495). Environmental experts have urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity, particularly in the morning and evening, and to wear masks when outside. PM2.5 concentrations in Lahore’s air are multiple times above global safety thresholds, raising...