On Tuesday, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari shared real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) readings from several Pakistani cities on X (formerly Twitter), encouraging, “Dear Pakistan, move to Karachi.”
Dear Pakistan, move to Karachi. 😎 pic.twitter.com/OVF13vvRp2
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) November 12, 2024
Punjab is currently enveloped in dense smog, with Lahore emerging as the world’s most polluted city. Reports show Lahore’s AQI is almost 74 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended limit, averaging a hazardous level of 588.
On Monday, AQI levels in different parts of Lahore ranged from 565 to as high as 1,045—though this was notably lower than the earlier peaks of 1,900 recorded in some areas this month. Typically, an AQI score of 0-50 is deemed healthy.
Read more: Pakistan’s record smog triggers anguish and anxiety
Lahore residents are advised to limit outdoor activities, use air purifiers if possible, and wear masks to reduce exposure to pollutants. The Punjab Environmental Department is expected to consider lockdown adjustments as needed.
On the streets of Pakistan’s second biggest city, smog stings eyes and burns throats. Inside homes, few people can afford air purifiers to limit the damage of toxic particles that seep through doors and windows.
Lahore — a city of 14 million people stuffed with factories on the border with India — regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, but it has hit record levels this month.
Schools have closed in the main cities of Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital, until November 17 in a bid to lower children’s exposure to the pollution, especially during the morning commute when it is often at its highest.
“The children are constantly coughing, they have constant allergies. In schools we saw that most of the children were falling sick,” said Rafia Iqbal a 38-year-old primary school teacher in the city that borders India.
Here’s how social media users reacted after Bilawal’s tweet:
Bilawal’s tweet comparing Lahore and Karachi’s AQI and inviting everyone to move to Karachi is like comparing apples to oranges! 😂 I mean, who wouldn't want to stroll down the streets, dodging mobile snatchers and risking their life over a phone?@qureshik74 pic.twitter.com/aiKCgc5rjJ
— Amber Danish (@amberdanishh) November 13, 2024
“Let them eat cake!"
Said the Queen of France, when told that her starving subjects had no bread during the French Revolution.
The same royal mentality seems to afflict Bilawal Zardari and Maryam Nawaz today. While one is vacationing in Switzerland, the other is cracking… pic.twitter.com/QWH0CJfTWE
— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 12, 2024
Bilawal's Karachi https://t.co/NvJwxABlMq pic.twitter.com/JiIMFXr9Uf
— Sundus (@SundusMehmood) November 12, 2024
Millions are suffering in an apocalyptic nightmare, and Bilawal think it’s something to joke about?
For political elites people’s suffering is just another joke. They can always fly off to wherever the air is clean. https://t.co/Imxi3emIv1— Mirwais (@Mirwaiskk) November 12, 2024