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Usama Khan called for tangible government action to combat the ongoing smog in Punjab, and said that shutting schools and businesses was not a solution.

In a series of Instagram stories, the Nayab actor asked the government to create a long-term plan and prevent new housing societies from operating.

“We have already compromised all of our green land. Lahore urgently needs a vertical building plan. The green areas from Lahore to Gujranwala and Lahore to Bedian even close to the Indian border, have almost entirely been consumed.”

According to Khan, schools still needed to pay rent and salaries and even businesses cannot operate in the current environment. He emphasised that the government needed to understand that they could not shut signals, schools and businesses in every situation.

He added that his comment about schools was regarding smaller schools, not “A category schools”.

“They don’t have proper access to [an] online system plus they charge not more than Rs2,000 — Rs4,000 in fees per month.”

Last week, the Punjab government declared an emergency in Lahore and Multan, where a “complete lockdown” will be imposed from Fridays to Sundays due to the intensity of smog.

Dense smog, caused by toxic pollutants, has engulfed several cities in Punjab over the past few weeks, with Lahore and Multan being the worst hit. The AQI reading in Multan has already crossed 2,000 twice, setting a new record for air pollution.

“We are declaring a health emergency in Lahore and Multan,” provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference on Friday.

The minister said a complete lockdown will be enforced on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in both cities.