Climate diplomacy
Climate change is impacting state-centrism beyond diplomatic protocols. Notwithstanding bilateral irritants, it's time for Pakistan and India to cooperate in the realm of environmental degradation in order to mitigate smog impact, at least, in the harvest-rich regions on both sides of the divide. It is a constant that Delhi and Lahore experience the worst air pollution, especially during winters, and are on the receiving end in terms of health deterioration, eye diseases and accidents apart from slowing down civic life. The attention drawn by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz towards this seasonal plight is worth considering, and necessitates a huddle of policy experts and relevant authorities in an apolitical manner to address it in a scientific way.
A number of aspects need to be looked into such as the degrading air quality index, stubble-burning by farmers, vehicular and industrial emissions, etc. None of these know politics or state policies and, thus, deserve an instant cooperative agenda to ameliorate the lot of inhabitants across the borders. While health emergencies are slapped and schools and businesses are shut, they don't come as a solution to the pestering atmospheric problems.
It has to be acknowledged that people are at risk, and a module to change agrarian lifestyle by introducing technological advancements to undo carbon emissions could be the first step in an odious journey. By naming the initiative as 'climate diplomacy', Pakistan and India can walk an extra mile in cajoling environmentalists, farming communities and relevant authorities for sharing their notes and agreeing on a common denominator of reforms. Employing the environmental sector to fully benefit from education and training is a sine qua non.
The smog crisis is an opportunity for collaborative climate action, and the way to go is collective data-sharing and research to help alleviate its adverse impacts in all walks of national life. It could come as a blessing in disguise to reduce the prevailing tensions between the two countries, as two billion people will come together to sort out an existential crisis.