Can you blame it on Diwali? Why Lahore and Karachi in the 'most polluted' list?

New Delhi:

What happens to the unbridled campaign against Diwali festive spirit vis-a-vis Delhi's
air pollution?

If Lahore in Pakistan is the most polluted city in the world and the issue is widely reported and there is veiled admission by big guns in Pakistan, why year after year, the Hindu festival and firecrackers are blamed and also 'banned' ?

According to reports, "Lahore has been declared the most polluted city in the world, leaving the Indian capital of New Delhi far behind, after its air quality index (AQI) went above 400".

snap 'Dawn'

Another Pakistani 'congested city' Karachi came in fourth.

Air pollution has worsened in Pakistan in recent years, as a mixture of low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal 

crop burn off, and colder winter temperatures coalesce into stagnant clouds of smog.

The 'motivated' campaigners and anti firecrackers lobby would be either silent now or doing

'more research' !

Well, a report in Aljazeera.com says: "Air quality in Lahore usually worsens during the winter season 

from October to February when farmers in the wider Punjab set light to the remnants of crops, producing 

smoke that adds to smog".

According to reports in a section of Pakistani media, one Justice had earlier observed that

the 'provincial government of Punjab' was allegedly responsible for making Lahore the most polluted

city.

In the last week of November 2020, Pakistani city, Lahore, had topped the list of world's most polluted cities

as it had recorded a particulate matter (PM) rating of 423. 

Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi was ranked at 7 on the AQI last year and New Delhi came in second.

Nepal’s capital Kathmandu was ranked the third-worst city with a PM of 178 in 2020.

Thus, the issues are more fundamental for 'air pollution' in the entire region and scientists 

still have to find conclusive and convincing reasons responsible for these.

As reported earlier, studies have revealed that Delhi in past years having had a total of 854 (326 +340+188) 

unhealthy to hazardous days in five years till September 2021. 

Sadly, however, everyone from public and media and other stake holders focus 

only on 10 out of 1255 days – that too without much success.

ends  

Imran regime buckles under global pressure on Kulbhushan Jadhav

New Delhi: India's diplomatic strategies and effective planning to safeguard Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, held unlawfully in Pakistan, have finally yielded positive results.

The Pakistan Parliament, in a joint sitting on Wednesday, passed a bill that will give Jadhav the right to appeal against his conviction by the military court in that country.

However, it ought to be pointed out that it took Islamabad two years to finally agree to pass a Bill that would allow Jadhav to seek remedy against the capital punishment order against him by Pakistan's military court.

The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill, 2020, was moved by Law Minister Farogh Nasim and was was passed with a majority vote.

Mr Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017. 

The Modi government took up the battle to protect Jadhav and had moved the 

International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ at The Hague in its historic and landmark judgment on July 17, 2019, observed that Pakistan was under an obligation to provide chances to Jadhav to seek "reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence against him. 

The ICJ had also ruled that Pakistan was in breach of its international obligations because of the failure to provide consular access to Mr Jadhav.

Pakistan has claimed earlier that Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage. 

India has rejected Pakistan's allegations and said he was 'kidnapped' from the Iranian port of Chabahar. Since his retirement, Jadhav has been pursuing his personal business in Iran.

The Pakistan National Assembly had on June 10 this year adopted the bill to give the right of appeal to Kulbhushan Jadhav and now the Joint Sitting nod would help his case.

Coincidentally, the Pakistan government and Parliament have agreed to pass such a draft law which they would try to paint as a goodwill gesture to India when the Imran Khan regime is under immense pressure from opposition parties and also extremist groups.

Ends