ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s 100-day plan for Punjab encompasses many reforms in education, health, housing, and environment sectors.
Tackling the issue of smog on priority, Punjab government has divided the province in three zones to cater to the worsening environmental condition.
These zones are categorized as Green, Yellow and Red, according to Environment Protection Department of Pakistan.
Authorities related to environmental protection in Punjab announced that the “Brick Kilns” using imperfect fuel would not be allowed to operate anymore; however, those who follow the suggested zig-zag technology can continue their operations.
The green zone comprises districts of Attock, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal, Gujrat, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Layyah, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Khushab, where no brick kilns will be shut down.
The red zone includes Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Sahiwal, Khanewal, Multan, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Narowal where no brick kilns will be allowed to operate.
In the yellow zone, authorities will take action according to the smog formation. This zone includes Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Lodharan, Muzaffargarh, Sialkot, Pakpattan, Vehari, Jhang, Chiniot and Toba Tek Singh districts.
Every year, with the start of winter season, smog causes chaos in many parts of Pakistan — mostly in Punjab and in its densely populated provincial capital, Lahore.
Meanwhile, in further efforts to revamp Punjab province, city administration has been requested not to sell fuel to bikers without helmets.
The Punjab traffic police suggested wrote a letter to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Lahore on Saturday to have the city administration take petrol station owners on board in this drive.
The step aims to protect people from accidents and air pollution.
Government sets eyes to revamp Punjab
Government sets eyes to revamp Punjab
- Authorities divide Punjab into three zones to counter environmental issues
- Bikers without helmets to be refused fuel at petrol stations
At UNSC, Pakistan warns competition for critical minerals could fuel global conflict
- The demand for critical minerals has surged worldwide due to rapid expansion of electric vehicles, advanced electronics and clean energy technologies
- Pakistan’s representative says all partnerships in critical minerals sector must be ‘cooperative and not exploitative’ and respect national ownership
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), has warned that intensifying global competition over critical minerals could become a new driver of global conflict, urging stronger international cooperation and equitable access to resources vital for the world’s energy transition.
The warning comes as demand for critical minerals and rare earth elements surges worldwide due to the rapid expansion of electric vehicles, advanced electronics and clean energy technologies, with governments and companies increasingly competing to secure supply chains while raising concerns that this may lead to geopolitical rivalries in the coming years.
Speaking at a Security Council briefing on ‘Energy, Critical Minerals, and Security,’ Ahmad said experience showed that the risks of instability increased where mineral wealth intersected with weak governance, entrenched poverty and external interference.
“Access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is essential for development, stability and prosperity. The global transition toward renewable energy, electric mobility, battery storage and digital infrastructure has sharply increased the demand for critical minerals,” he said.
“This upsurge has generated new geopolitical and geo-economic pressures. If not managed responsibly, competition over natural resources can affect supply chains, aggravate tensions, undermine sovereignty and contribute to instability.”
In several conflict-affected settings, he noted, illicit extraction, trafficking networks and opaque financial flows have fueled armed conflict and violence, weakened state institutions and deprived populations of legitimate revenues.
“The scramble for natural resources and its linkage to conflict and instability is therefore not new,” Ahmad told UNSC members at the briefing. “Pakistan believes that natural resources must serve as instruments of economic development and shared prosperity, and not coercion or conflict.”
He urged the world to reaffirm the right of peoples to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, saying all partnerships in the critical minerals sector must be cooperative and not exploitative, respect national ownership, ensure transparent contractual arrangements and align with host countries’ development strategies.
“In order to prevent the exploitation of mineral-producing countries and regions, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings, support their capacity-building for strengthening domestic regulatory institutions, combating illicit financial flows, ensuring environmental safeguards, and promoting equitable benefit-sharing with local communities,” he asked member states.
“Promote equitable participation in global value chains. Developing countries must be enabled to move beyond extraction toward processing, refining and downstream manufacturing. Technology transfer, skills development and responsible investment are essential to avoid perpetuating structural imbalances.”
