Punjab Proposes Three-Month Wedding Ban to Combat Severe Smog Crisis
In a bid to tackle the ongoing smog crisis, Punjab’s Advocate General proposed a three-month suspension on weddings, urging residents to avoid hosting marriage ceremonies during November, December, and January. This proposal, part of a broader “smog mitigation policy,” was presented to the Lahore High Court (LHC) amid worsening air quality in the region.
At a court session led by Justice Shahid Karim, the advocate general outlined the long-term plan, which encourages citizens to plan weddings in October instead. The government is also implementing measures to reduce vehicular emissions, including a ban on smoke-emitting vehicles, intensified checks, and the recent seizure of over 100 polluting buses.
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The proposed wedding ban follows several other drastic measures to curb smog, such as temporarily closing schools, reducing public office attendance by shifting half of the workforce online, and banning heavy vehicles from city limits. These steps, however, have yet to make a noticeable impact, as the dense toxic haze continues to grip Punjab, particularly Lahore and Multan.
Lahore, recently named the most polluted city in the world by IQAir, has been struggling under thick smog visible even from space, with satellite images from NASA showing the city cloaked in dark clouds. The alarming air quality, with Pakistan’s AQI soaring past other global cities like New Delhi and Kinshasa, has led to severe health warnings, especially for children. According to UNICEF, the hazardous air poses significant risks for over 11 million children under the age of five in Punjab.
“The smog crisis in Punjab has reached unprecedented levels,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, expressing deep concern for children exposed to the toxic air. The seasonal pollution surge in South Asia results from a blend of crop residue burning, coal-fired power plants, traffic emissions, and stagnant weather conditions.
Justice Shahid Karim, during the hearing, stressed the importance of government accountability and urged more proactive efforts, as the crisis shows no signs of abating.
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