Taking a jab at Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments amid deepening smog crisis, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, whose party has been in power in Sindh since 2008, has advised people to move to Karachi for better air quality.
The PPP chairman shared real-time AQI rankings of Pakistan's cities recorded on November 12 on his X handle. The data showed that KP’s Peshawar was on top with a reading of 591, followed by Multan with 573. Lahore stood in third spot with 479, and Rawalpindi with a measurement of 302. As per the list, Haripur and Islamabad were measured at 272 and 262, respectively, on the AQI.
However, the PPP chief’s suggestion did not sit well with the residents of Karachi, who criticised him over poor infrastructure, high crime rate, and lack of basic civic facilities such as chronic water shortage among others in the provincial capital.
In response to Bilawal's X post, one of the social media users wrote: "Three years ago, I moved from Karachi to Lahore, and honestly, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I still travel to Karachi a lot, and every time, I feel grateful to Allah (SWT) for giving me the chance to make this move. I keep encouraging my f&f to make move too."
Another user argued that despite being lower compared to other cities, Karachi's 79 AQI is still not healthy as it falls in the "Poor" category.
Some netizens shared memes to highlight the prevalent issues of the metropolis:
Karachi's air quality, however, was recorded at 78, which is considered acceptable. Air pollution in cities with AQI readings between 51 and 100 may pose a moderate health concern for a very small number of individuals, according to health experts.
In recent weeks, the ongoing smog crisis in Pakistan has intensified as the air-carrying toxins from India engulfed various districts of KP after Punjab, where Lahore retains its position on top of the global pollution charts.
On November 10, the provincial capital's reading was 613 around 10am on the real-time list of most polluted cities in the world by Swiss group IQ Air.
Meanwhile, (PM2.5) pollutants — the fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — were recorded at 382.2, which is 76.4 times higher than the World Health Organisation's (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.
After affecting various cities in Punjab, smog spread beyond the province, blanketing some of the districts in KP, where citizens complained of eye and throat infections and breathing issues.
Punjab, particularly Lahore, has been in the grip of a severe smog crisis since last month, with thick, toxic clouds now visible from space in striking satellite imagery by Nasa.
Additionally, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has warned that the highly polluted air in Punjab poses severe risks to residents, including more than 11 million children under the age of five.
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