Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has dismissed reports circulating on social media about additional school holidays due to smog, clarifying that the provincial government has made no such decision.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the minister said schools across Punjab would continue operating according to their regular schedules, with no changes to the academic calendar.
He urged parents, students and the general public to avoid believing unverified social media claims about extended school closures, stressing that no official announcement had been made in this regard.
Lahore tops global pollution ranking
Meanwhile, Lahore has once again emerged as the world’s most polluted major city, with air quality deteriorating to extremely hazardous levels in several parts of the provincial capital.
According to IQAir data, Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 453, securing the top position in the global pollution ranking. India’s capital, New Delhi, ranked second with an AQI of 224.
Several localities in Lahore recorded even more alarming pollution levels. The CERP office reported an AQI of 706, followed by Allama Iqbal Town at 690 and Burki Road near Paragon at 639.
Raiwind and Kahna Nau recorded AQI readings of 509 and 511, respectively, while another monitoring station reported a reading of 459. Data released by the Punjab Air Quality Monitoring System also highlighted the severity of pollution across the city.
Multan Road recorded an AQI of 500, with PM2.5 concentrations reaching 541.1 micrograms per cubic metre and PM10 levels standing at 1,398.3 micrograms per cubic metre. Safari Park and GT Road also reported AQI readings of 500, while Kahna Nau recorded 490, Gulberg III 475 and Egerton Road 432.
Other affected locations included Shahdara and DHA Phase 6, both recording AQI levels of 392, followed by Burki Road at 390, Punjab University at 373 and Wagah Border at 256. Despite the worsening air quality, the Punjab government has not announced additional school holidays, and educational institutions will continue following their regular timetable.
