Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz said on Wednesday that Pakistan and India should join hands to tackle the worsening issue of smog on both sides of the border.

The chief minister made these remarks while addressing a Diwali event in Lahore.

Both New Delhi and Lahore region battles pollution each year as temperatures fall and cold air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke.

According to IQAir, Lahore was the most polluted city in the world on Monday night, with its air quality touching 708 points on the Air Quality Index (AQI). Today, Delhi held the top rank with 196 points, with Lahore just six points behind it.

“We need to have climate diplomacy with India regarding the issue of smog in Lahore. I’m thinking of writing a letter to the Chief Minister of Indian Punjab in this regard as this is not political, but a humanitarian issue,” she said.

“And if we’re also taking steps towards this, then there should be a matching response from the Indian side,” Maryam stressed.

She remarked that the people and environment on both sides of the border will benefit from this diplomacy.

“Until both Punjabs work together, we won’t be able to tackle the issue of smog,” she said.

Last week, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb noted that 30 per cent of the city’s smog hovered over from India.

According to a report earlier this month, at least 71 people have been arrested for burning stubble and trash, operating prohibited brick kilns and driving smoke-emitting vehicles in Punjab. In India’s Haryana state, at least 16 farmers have been arrested for illegally burning paddy stubble.