Lahore Smog: AQI 358 as Punjab Govt Says Smog Is Not Political — EPA Blames Indian Air, Experts Urge Caution

By Ahmed Khan | 12 November 2026

Lahore topped the global ranking of major polluted cities again on Wednesday night, recording an air quality index (AQI) of 358, as the Punjab government insisted smog is “not a political issue” and its Environment Protection Agency blamed pollution-laden air travelling in from India after Diwali. New Delhi ranked second with an AQI of 248, but the two cities’ readings tell different stories — and experts warn the blame game is hiding the local sources that drive most of Lahore’s smog.

Key Facts

What the Government Said

Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference on Wednesday that there should be no politics over smog, environmental protection and public health, because these issues concern the lives, health and future of millions of people. “Smog is not a political issue. It is a scientific, environmental and public health challenge,” she said, even as Lahore, Multan and other major cities remained blanketed under a thick layer of smog.

The Punjab Environment Protection Agency’s assessment for the Diwali period found that pollution-laden air from India travelled deep into Punjab, contributing to increased particulate matter concentrations. According to the agency, around 50% of Punjab was affected by air originating in India during the preceding 24 hours. Readings from Punjab’s air quality monitoring network showed a marked geographical variation: the Wagah Border station recorded a 275% increase in PM2.5 concentrations, peaking between 3am and 4am, while the Safari Park station in western Lahore rose only 15%. The EPA said the east-to-west variation was consistent with pollution carried by easterly winds from across the border, and estimated that air polluted on the night of Diwali could have reached Lahore from Amritsar in about two hours, Faisalabad in 12 hours and Multan in about 11 hours.

Delhi’s Monitors Could Not Even Measure It

Across the border, the toxic smog in New Delhi was so severe this week that air pollution monitors were overwhelmed after pollutant concentrations exceeded the upper measurement limits of their instruments. Official data failed to capture the full extent of the smog for several hours overnight from Sunday into Monday, just as pollution surged with Diwali fireworks. Particulate matter analysers installed after India introduced its National Air Quality Index in 2015 are calibrated for readings of up to 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre, and India’s Central Pollution Control Board said its automated data validation system identifies values outside the calibrated range as unusable for calculations. When the monitors resumed transmitting data about eight hours after the fireworks peak, 879 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre were recorded in the Mandir Marg locality, according to monitoring organisation IQAir, citing a city government station.

But the Science Cuts Both Ways

The cross-border explanation is not the whole story, and Punjab’s own assessments say so. The Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (PAQI) found insufficient evidence to link the recent deterioration to Diwali fireworks in India, and noted that the tendency to attribute Lahore’s air to pollution from across the border has come under scrutiny. Satellite observations detected 16,714 likely crop-residue fires between 1 October and 9 November, and Lahore recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 126 micrograms per cubic metre over that 40-day period — eight times the WHO’s daily guideline, with pollution exceeding national standards throughout.

The Punjab Environment Protection and Climate Change Department’s own scientific assessment, issued on 9 November, put the direct influence of air from India at between minus 6 and plus 13 AQI points, concluding that local sources account for most of the pollution. Air over Lahore spent 22 hours over Indian territory on 9 November and 17 hours on 10 November, but the assessment found pollution easing slightly in October — down 27% on NASA satellite data and 19% on ground stations. The Punjab Clean Air Programme, supported by $300 million in World Bank financing, already provides a framework for improvements.

What It Means for Today

Lahore woke on Thursday to smoke, 23°C and an AQI of 252 — still very unhealthy, with PM2.5 as the primary pollutant. The day’s high is forecast at 29°C with mostly cloudy skies, and the EPA’s five-day forecast puts Lahore’s AQI at 284 today, falling to 218 on Friday. Rain is expected across Punjab on 12–13 November, which should help wash out some of the haze, and the forecast names Lahore among the areas where fog or smog is likely at isolated locations during morning hours.

The smog has already forced motorway closures this week: on Tuesday evening, the section from Shamkot to Abdul Hakeem was closed to all traffic, while heavy traffic on the Sher Shah–Multan section towards Khanewal was also suspended. Hospitals in Lahore have already reported a surge of flu-like patients as smog bites, and the province has rejected rumours of smog holidays for schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

For more on the smog season, see Lahore as the world’s most polluted city on 9 November, the surge of 35,000 flu-like patients at Lahore hospitals and rain and thunderstorms across Punjab on 12–13 November.