Pakistan has accused India of contributing to worsening air quality in Lahore by allowing pollution from firecrackers during Diwali celebrations. The allegation comes as both Lahore and Delhi are among the world's most polluted cities, highlighting a shared air crisis across South Asia. On Tuesday, Lahore topped IQAir's ranking of the world's most polluted major cities for a second consecutive day, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 263, classified as "very unhealthy." The city's concentration of PM2.5 was 37.2 times higher than the World Health Organisation's annual guideline, according to IQAir. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Environment Protection Minister in Pakistan's Punjab province, said pollutants had travelled into the region with light winds and air currents from India following Diwali celebrations. The air quality is expected to improve gradually as weather conditions change and winds shift direction.
India's Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pakistan's remarks. Delhi also ranked among the world's most polluted cities, with an AQI of 188 on Tuesday, according to IQAir. Firecrackers accounted for nearly 55% of the PM2.5 pollution recorded in Delhi a day earlier. However, vehicle emissions, construction dust, and smoke from crop-waste burning also contribute significantly to deteriorating air quality during winter months in both India and Pakistan.
The latest remarks revive an earlier dispute between the two countries over the movement of pollutants across their shared border. In 2024, Pakistan had similarly blamed crop-waste burning in India's Punjab for its toxic air. However, officials from India's weather department had disputed the claim, saying wind direction at the time indicated that air was moving from Pakistan towards India. The issue has also become a political talking point within India, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blaming crop-residue burning in Punjab for contributing to Delhi's poor air quality this month. Local media reports indicated a sevenfold increase in farm fires in Punjab on Sunday, when Diwali was celebrated. However, the Punjab government has maintained that incidents of crop-waste burning have declined compared with previous years. With pollution levels rising across the region, the movement of smoke and other pollutants across state and national boundaries remains a concern.