ISLAMABAD: Educational institutions across Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, except for Lahore and Multan divisions, will reopen tomorrow, according to a notification issued by the province’s Environmental Protection Agency on Monday, following an improvement in air quality as smog conditions eased.
Toxic smog began affecting various cities in Punjab last month, as cold air trapped dust, diesel fumes and smoke from illegal stubble burning. In response, provincial authorities closed schools, restricted heavy transport on designated days and banned access to public spaces such as parks and playgrounds.
“The ambient air quality has improved in most districts of Punjab, due to rain in upper parts of Punjab, change in wind direction and speed,” the notification, signed by the EPA director general, said. “Therefore, all the educational institutions, except [in] Lahore and Multan divisions, shall be opened [with effect from] 19-11-2024 (Tuesday) with physical presence of students/staff.”
The notification announced students and staff must adhere to safety protocols, including wearing face masks, while outdoor sports and co-curricular activities would remain banned until further notice.
The decision follows weeks of severe smog that forced authorities in Punjab to close schools or shift them to online learning in several districts.
Smog has been a recurring problem during the winter months in the country, with authorities yet to find a sustainable solution to the crisis.
Earlier this month, NASA’s satellite imagery revealed a dense layer of smog stretching between Pakistan’s Lahore and India’s New Delhi, underscoring the severity of the environmental crisis.
The development has prompted climate experts to demand urgent action, as Pakistan’s meteorological department forecasts smog to persist until mid-December.
With schools reopening in most districts of Punjab, the EPA emphasized the importance of continued vigilance and compliance with safety measures, warning that smog could return if weather patterns shift or mitigation efforts are relaxed.
Pakistan’s Punjab to reopen schools from tomorrow as air quality improves in most districts
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Pakistan’s Punjab to reopen schools from tomorrow as air quality improves in most districts
- Province’s Environmental Protection Agency says its directive is not for Lahore and Multan where smog persists
- Smog has been a recurring problem during winter months, with authorities yet to find any sustainable solutions
Three security personnel, five militants killed in separate incidents in Pakistan’s northwest
- An army major and five militants were killed in an operation in Bajaur, while gunmen shot dead two cops in Lakki Marwat and Tank
- Pakistan has blamed the surge in militancy in its northwest on Afghanistan and India-backed militants, Kabul and New Delhi deny this
PESHAWAR: Three security personnel, including an army major, and five militants were killed in separate incidents in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, police and military said on Monday, amid a surge in militancy in the province bordering Afghanistan.
Security forces conducted an operation in KP’s Bajaur district on reported presence of Pakistani Taliban militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Five “Indian-sponsored” militants were killed during the operation, while it also resulted in the killing of Major Adeel Zaman who was leading his troops from the front.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed khwarij [militants], who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored kharja [militant] found in the area.”
Separately, gunmen abducted Sajjad Hussain, a police constable who was traveling home on leave, in KP’s Tank district and later shot him dead, according to district police spokesman Younus Khan.
“The martyred constable, Sajjad Hussain, was posted at the Nasran checkpoint,” Khan told Arab News. “He was intercepted, forced off his vehicle, and shot on Shah Alam–Nasran Road by militants.”
Another policeman, Assistant Sub-Inspector Mumtaz Ali, was shot dead by gunmen in Pezu area of the nearby Lakki Marwat district.
“The officer, who was posted in Tank, was on his way to his duty station when assailants intercepted his vehicle, forced him out, and opened fire, killing him on the spot,” Khan added.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the police killings, which came a day after police killed eight militants in KP’s Karak district.
Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in KP in recent years. Militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have frequently targeted convoys of security forces, police stations and check-posts besides kidnapping government officials in the region.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, including the TTP, for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied this.
