‘Dear Pakistan, move to Karachi,' says Bilawal as smog blankets Punjab, KP

Pakistan People's Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has invited Pakistan to move to Karachi for better air quality.

In a post on X Bilawal while mocking the governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said: "Dear Pakistan, move to Karachi." 

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. In striking satellite imagery by Nasa, thick, toxic clouds are now visible from space.

On Monday, the United Nations Children’s Funds (Unicef) expressed concern that over 11 million children under five years of age are in peril due to intense smog that is severely impacting the environment of Pakistan’s Punjab.

Abdullah Fadil, a Unicef representative in Pakistan, called for urgent efforts to deal with air pollution and protect children’s health.