The second phase of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) crackdown on smoke-emitting enterprises has begun, according to Punjab Marriyum Aurangzeb, the senior minister.

Teams from the Environmental Protection Agency conducted raids at the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway.

The mapping of companies that release large amounts of smoke has started, according to Ms. Aurangzeb, and the legislative process is also in progress.

According to the Punjab senior minister, legislation imposing penalties and fines on smoke-emitting firms would come following an appeal to industry to contribute to air purification.

An extensive directive supporting proactive steps to increase environmental awareness to solve the growing smog issue was issued earlier in February by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Educational institutions were instructed to set aside one session each week for environmental and plant awareness by Justice Shahid Karim’s written ruling from the court.

In order to foster in students a sense of accountability and care for their environment, the court plans to incorporate environmental education and awareness into the weekly schedules of educational institutions.

During a discussion held alongside the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Special discussion, two parties decided to hold the Joint Ministerial Commission’s next meeting in Islamabad later this year.

According to a press release, the two parties will examine the markets and fully capitalise on the chances presented in different industries for observable economic results during the Joint Ministerial Commission conference.

Bilateral trade and investment relations are given a leadership-driven boost via frequent high-level interactions. Against this backdrop, the Malaysian foreign minister was invited by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar to visit Pakistan, and he accepted.

Talking on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, both parties demanded that hostilities end immediately and that Palestinians receive immediate humanitarian aid.

They also emphasised the need for more collaboration within the OIC framework in order to find a long-term, peaceful resolution to the Palestinian issue.

Hamas launched an unprecedented onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, sparking the start of the Gaza War and the subsequent spike in tensions in the region.

An AFP count of Israeli official numbers indicates that 1,170 persons, largely civilians, died as a result of the attack.

34 of the captives the military claims are deceased are among the estimated 129 hostages that Israel believes are still being held in Gaza after they were taken on October 7.

The health ministry for the area reports that at least 34,454 individuals have died in Gaza as a result of Israel’s retaliatory operation, the majority of them were women and children.

Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has threatened to storm Islamabad, according to Khawaja Saad Rafique, a former minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). This is a very serious situation.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has reportedly launched attacks on the federal capital in the past in an attempt to seize Islamabad, according to Saad Rafiq on the social media platform X (previously Twitter).

“However, PTI got nothing and it resulted in creating chaos, hatred and economic destruction,” he continued.

He added, “If the anarchists attack Islamabad to occupy it this time too, it will become impossible for them to return as rulers.”

According to the leader of the PML-N, fascist behavior will no longer be accepted, and the dirty politics of violence, fire, and ransacking will no longer be effective.

The PTI, he said, has to act rationally and refrain from inciting another May 9.