THAT time of year is upon us again when Punjab’s cities start to choke under a grey pall. The minarets of Lahore’s Badshahi Mosque, barely visible through the thick haze in recent days, have sadly come to symbolise the province’s environmental neglect. Lahore recently ranked as the world’s most polluted city, with the Air Quality Index hitting 412 — a level hazardous to human health. Other cities such as Faisalabad and Gujranwala recorded similar levels. The air in much of central Punjab is now unsafe to breathe. The Punjab government has responded in familiar fashion with short-term measures: revising school timings, issuing health advisories,........

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