Lahore | Pakistan

LAHORE: Punjab’s air quality has plunged to alarming levels this week, with Lahore emerging as one of the most polluted cities in the world, according to real-time data from IQAir. The situation looks bad even in the coming days with no rain prediction that may bring some respite. On Saturday, the city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 527 at 8pm, classified as hazardous, following Delhi (710). Lahore’s three-day average AQI hovered above 300. Some hotspots in the city such as Allama Iqbal Town (802), Bedian Road (674) and CERP Office (672) performed worst. The air pollution crisis in the country extends beyond Lahore. Cities across Punjab reported AQI readings well above safe thresholds between December 11 and 13, prompting widespread health warnings. Khurrianwala registered an AQI of 558, Faisalabad 547, Kahna Nau 350, Gujranwala 284, Gujrat 254, Islamabad 246, and both Bahawalpur and Sialkot at 244. Health experts warned that such high concentrations of PM2.5 particulate matter that penetrates deep in...

A three-day Basant festival would kick off in Lahore from February 6, 2026, following the Punjab government’s decision to lift a ban on the historic event of celebration, colours, and kite-flying after 18 years, with strict regulations. The festival was banned in 2007 because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire. “The Basant festival will be held in Lahore from Feb 6 to 8, 2026,” Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari told Dawn on Wednesday. The festival would be “completely safe, regulated, and strictly monitored,” she added. In a post on X, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said, “CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz has approved the revival of our beloved Heritage Basant Festival on February 6th, 7th and 8th, celebrated across Lahore after 25 years, a tradition rooted in history and admired worldwide.“ On CM Punjab’s directions, a city-wide campaign to install safety antennas on all mo...

Lahore once again topped the global ranking of the world’s most polluted cities on Tuesday, as toxic smog and dense fog continued to blanket large parts of Punjab, severely reducing visibility and endangering public health.

The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday said it had arrested 12 suspected terrorists allegedly working for the Indian intelligence agency Research Analysis Wing (RAW) in intelligence-based operations conducted in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur. According to a statement issued by the CTD spokesperson, the arrests were made in collaboration with sensitive agencies. He said security personnel recovered photos, videos, weapons, and explosives from the suspects, preventing large-scale terrorism activities in the aforementioned cities. He said the recovered material reportedly also included images and video recordings of sensitive locations, including a religious seminary. He said the terrorists were planning to incite “fear and religious hatred” in the province and had plans to target “places of worship and other important sites”. The CTD spokesperson said suspects identified as Sukhdeep Singh, Azmat, Faizan, Nabil, Abrar, Usman, and Sarfaraz were arrested in Lahore. Another suspect, Danish, wa...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the Lahore airport on Tuesday, where he again asserted that passengers with “complete documents” were not being barred from travelling, state-run PTV News reported. “No passenger with complete travel documents is being stopped from travelling, and they will not be stopped,” he said, adding that, however, passengers in possession of “incomplete or bogus documents will definitely not be allowed to travel”. Naqvi’s assurance and warning follow recent reports of arbitrary offloading at airports of passengers travelling abroad. The reports prompted clarifications by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that only passengers without complete and correct documents were being stopped from travelling. The interior minister has also issued similar statements, saying that only those lacking genuine and complete documents were not being allowed to travel abroad. During his visit to the Lahore airport today, he reiterated the same. “No passenger who brings disrepute to the country c...

Control rooms have been set up at the Election Commission headquarters in Islamabad and Lahore to monitor the by-elections in six National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly constituencies on Sunday.

The PTI slammed the PML-N government on Thursday for allegedly employing rigging tactics in support of its candidate in Lahore’s NA-129 by-election. The by-election is scheduled for Sunday. The party claimed that campaigning began with state personnel tearing down the PTI candidate’s banners and posters, managing polling stations and then appointing subordinates of the PML-N candidate, who has served as chairman of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) Board of Directors (BoD). The PTI leaders allege that this amounts to an orchestrated attempt to tilt the electoral playing field in favour of the ruling party’s candidate, Muhammad Nauman. The NA-129 seat, vacated after the death of Mian Muhammad Azhar, is being contested by his nephew, Chaudhry Arslan, who was nominated by Azhar’s son and former PTI Punjab acting president Hammad Azhar. The junior Azhar is absconding as he is wanted by the state in different cases. The PTI is contesting the by-election only in Lahore, where the seat was vacated, while bo...

The Punjab Environment Protection Agency, in collaboration with the Punjab Safe City Authority, has launched a major crackdown across Lahore targeting vehicles operating without mandatory Green Stickers.

Lahore’s walled city features some of Pakistan’s most iconic landmarks and monuments, from the imposing Alamgiri Gate to the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Masjid. The Mughal-era architecture has drawn visitors from across the country and the world, who can now tour the monuments at night. Dawn offers a glance at Lahore’s walled city as visitors enjoy views of brightly illuminated structures lighting up the dark of the night. A visitor walks through a section of the Lahore Fort during a night tour on November 15. — White Star/Murtaza Ali Visitors look upon the Hazuri Bagh pavilion during a night tour of Lahore’s walled city on November 15. — White Star/Murtaza Ali An image of Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum in Lahore’s walled city from November 15. — White Star/Murtaza Ali Visitors look at a view from the Lahore Fort, with Badshahi Masjid and the Minar-i-Pakistan visible in the background, during a night tour on November 15. — White Star/Murtaza Ali A view of the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Masjid during a night tour on Nove...

Lahore continues to battle hazardous air quality, ranking as the second most polluted city in the world on Sunday.

Punjab remained engulfed in dense, toxic smog on Saturday, with Lahore continuing to face dangerously high air pollution levels and holding its position as the world’s second most polluted city.

Air pollution across Punjab has surged to life-threatening levels, with Lahore once again emerging as one of the most polluted cities in the world.

Air pollution in Lahore and several other Punjab cities has reached dangerous levels, with air quality indices (AQI) entering the hazardous zone.

Lahore continues to grapple with dangerously high levels of air pollution, ranking as the second most polluted city in the world, according to global environmental monitoring data.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the Punjab Wildlife Department to submit a report on the demolition of a pet market in the walled city within 30 days and decide on a framework to prevent such incidents from occurring again, according to the lawyer who filed the petition with the court. A demolition operation was carried out at a bird market in Lahore’s Bhati Chowk area, near Data Darbar last Friday by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), with shopkeepers accusing the Punjab government of killing dozens of birds and other caged pets; allegations the government has denied. This incident led to public outrage as the animals were not moved during the demolition. Animal rights lawyer Altamush Saeed filed a petition with the LHC on Saturday, naming the Punjab government, the Punjab Wildlife and Fisheries Department and the LDA, as respondents. A press release stated that the court ordered the Wildlife Department to submit a “comprehensive report” on the matter. It added that LHC Judge Shehram Sarwa...

Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra, a human rights activist, poet and education expert, died on Monday. The author’s niece, Ameena Kamal, confirmed to Dawn that Zehra had passed in Lahore at age 83. “Dr Arfa will be buried in her family graveyard, Cavalry Ground, Lahore, tomorrow, and the time of her funeral will be announced at a later time,” Kamal said. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed “profound grief” over the educationist’s passing, the PPP posted on the social media platform X. “The demise of Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra is an irreparable loss for Pakistan’s academic and literary circles,” he said, adding that the intellectual had dedicated her life to knowledge, research, and service to humanity. He said she had “set a shining example”, adding, “Her scholarly contributions and efforts for the promotion of the national language will always be remembered.” Zardari expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the deceased’s family, students, and academic community. Dr Zehra was recognised for her knowledge of Urdu litera...

The smog crisis in Punjab continues to worsen, with Lahore’s air quality reaching dangerously high pollution levels once again.

A demolition operation carried out at a bird market in Lahore’s Bhati Chowk area, near Data Darbar, has become mired in controversy, with shopkeepers accusing the Punjab government of killing dozens of birds and other caged pets, allegations the government has denied. The operation was conducted on Wednesday morning by joint teams of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) to launch the Bhaati Chowk remodeling project, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and control pollution. “The market consisted of a total of 149 shops, including some tuck (pan) shops. Around 13 to 14 [shops] were situated in the front, where the shopkeepers were able to take out the birds and cages late at night. The other shopkeepers could not do this since they closed the shops in the evening as per routine,“ Bahu Khan, Lahore Bhaati bird association office bearer told Dawn. “Thus, all birds (parrots, sparrows, etc) were buried to death after the field operation teams raise...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has issued a clarification regarding the Lahore–Jeddah flight that made an unscheduled landing in Karachi early Thursday morning, emphasizing that the decision was taken purely as a precautionary measure after the pilot noticed cracks in the aircraft’s windshield during.

Lahore woke up to a pleasant change in weather on Monday, as temperatures dipped and a refreshing chill settled over the city.