ISLAMABAD: The provincial administration of Punjab expressed interest in leveraging American expertise and technology to address environmental issues on Friday as pollution levels in the eastern city of Lahore has hit dangerous highs in recent weeks.
The idea of collaborating with the United States over the issue came up for discussion during a meeting between Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) amid Lahore’s consistent ranking among the world’s most polluted cities.
The Punjab administration has decided to tackle the issue head-on, rolling out several initiatives aimed at reducing the city’s hazardous smog such as implementing mandatory face masks, suspending outdoor school activities and a ban on fireworks for about three months.
The Punjab government also introduced “green lockdown” earlier this week to bolster these efforts, limiting pollution-heavy activities in the city’s worst-affected areas, though local media reports say the enforcement of these measures remains inconsistent.
The issue of air quality in Lahore was one of the focal points during Sharif’s meeting with the USAID officials at her office, according to a statement from the provincial government.
“During the discussion, matters of mutual interest, strengthening US-Pakistan relations and enhancing cooperation in various fields were addressed,” the statement said.
“Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed Pakistan’s intent to benefit from the US expertise in green energy and advanced technology to combat climate change and environmental pollution,” it added.
Both sides also agreed to deepen collaboration in other areas, including trade, renewable energy, women’s economic empowerment, health care and education.
Sharif highlighted her government’s initiatives for women’s safety, such as the “panic button” and virtual police stations.
She noted that modern internships are being provided to nurture a skilled workforce within the province.
The chief minister emphasized that Pakistan, particularly under the present government, has made strides toward becoming safer and more peaceful, setting new benchmarks in governance and transparency.
She praised the country’s achievements in combating extremism and militancy, stressing the importance of further enhancing collaboration between Washington and Islamabad in the area.
The discussion also included opportunities to boost investment to meet future demands of the two countries and strengthen connections between their people.
Pakistan’s Punjab seeks US expertise to combat Lahore’s growing smog crisis
https://arab.news/w5myq
Pakistan’s Punjab seeks US expertise to combat Lahore’s growing smog crisis
- Maryam Nawaz Sharif discusses the issue with USAID officials, urges bilateral cooperation
- Punjab CM also seeks collaboration in trade, renewable energy, health care and education
Pakistan’s deputy PM says country will not send forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas
- Ishaq Dar says Pakistan open to peacekeeping but Gaza’s internal security is Palestinian responsibility
- Pakistan’s top religious clerics from different schools have warned against sending forces to Palestine
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday Pakistan was willing to contribute to an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it would not deploy troops to disarm or de-weaponize Hamas.
The statement follows media reports saying Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military and wants it to be part of International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for a Gaza peace plan.
The plan announced by Trump at the White House on September 29 was formally adopted at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October. Co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the summit brought together leaders from 27 countries to sign the “Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity.”
Deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase is a key part of the plan before the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
“If they say that we should go and start fighting, disarm Hamas, de-weaponize them, and go and destroy the tunnels that Hamas has built until now, that is not our job,” Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, told reporters during a year-end briefing in Islamabad.
He emphasized there was clarity between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership over the matter.
“We have a very complete understanding on this matter that we cannot do that kind of work,” he added.
The deputy prime minister said Pakistan had been using the term “peacekeeping” and had never used the phrase “peace enforcement” while discussing the force.
“I have been very clear: Pakistan will be happy to join if the mandate is not peace enforcement and disarming and de-weaponizing Hamas.”
The government’s stance comes amid growing domestic pressure over the issue.
On Monday, a group of Pakistan’s top religious leaders, chaired by prominent scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, warned the government against yielding to what they described as international pressure to send forces to Gaza.
In a joint statement from Karachi, the clerics — representing Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadees and Shia schools of thought — said that Washington wanted Muslim countries to send their forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas.
“Several Muslim governments have already refused this, and pressure is being increased on Pakistan,” it added.
Addressing such concerns, Dar said Pakistan would not land its forces in Palestine to “fight Muslims.”
Israel has repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hamas as a precondition for any long-term settlement, and the United Nations Security Council has also endorsed the ISF framework in November.
However, Dar maintained during the media briefing the internal security of Gaza was the Palestinian responsibility.
“The Palestinian Authority, their government, it is their job, it is the job of their law enforcement agency,” he said
The deputy prime minister also highlighted Pakistan’s involvement in the “Arab Islamic Group of Eight,” including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia, which has been coordinating on the crisis.
He said the efforts of these countries had brought some peace to Palestine and reduced bloodshed.
“Our declared policy is that there should be an independent two-state solution,” he continued while calling for pre-1967 borders.
