‘Climate diplomacy’: Can smog bring India and Pakistan together?

Relations between nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and India have largely remained tense and stagnant for years. Now, an unlikely catalyst is promising to facilitate dialogue between them: deadly smog that is enveloping key cities in both countries.

A senior government official from Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, which borders Indian Punjab, revealed that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has shown an interest in visiting her Indian counterpart to address the pressing issue of air pollution. Both Lahore and India’s capital New Delhi have recently ranked among the world’s most polluted cities.

“Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz will be sending a letter to Indian Punjab’s Chief Minister [Bhagwant Singh Mann] in the coming days. She has expressed her willingness to visit India and extend an invitation for him to visit Pakistan,” Raja Jahangir Anwar, Punjab’s secretary for environment and climate change, told Al Jazeera.

Anwar added that, given the adverse climatic conditions affecting the region, Pakistan is also considering hosting a regional climate conference in Lahore before the year ends.

“We recognise that these matters fall under external affairs, requiring approval from the federal government and relevant stakeholders, but this situation is urgent,” he emphasised. “If this can bring Pakistan and India together, along with other countries, why waste this opportunity?”Since September, falling temperatures, changing atmospheric conditions and domestic emissions have severely affected Lahore and New Delhi, with air quality indices (AQI) frequently surpassing 300 micrograms of PM2.5 – fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or smaller. That is far above the limit of 100 micrograms of PM2.5 that is considered acceptable.

The PM2.5 particles are released from both human activities and natural events and pose serious health risks, as they can penetrate deep into human respiratory systems.

With the ever-increasing air pollution levels, Nawaz, daughter of three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and a proponent of normalising relations with India, has in recent days reiterated her commitment to pursuing “climate diplomacy”.

Speaking at a Diwali event in Lahore on Wednesday, she emphasised the need for both nations to collaborate on this issue.

“This matter has to be resolved diplomatically with India. I am considering writing a letter to Indian Punjab’s chief minister. This is not a political issue, it is a humanitarian one,” she said.