Spitting gutkha and paan in public
Dear Editor,
Every day, we see red stains on public walls, staircases, footpaths and roads that are spit marks left by people who chew gutkha, paan, supari and other churan-type items, and then spit in public places. People spit even in front of ‘Do not spit’ signs. Would you spit inside your own home? Spitting gutkha and paan makes our streets and public spaces look filthy. The stench is awful, too. No matter how often the walls and tiles are scrubbed, someone spits again - and the red stains reappear in just a few days.
What kind of image does this send to tourists and international guests? Visitors from other countries are often shocked. They take photos of our stained walls and post them online - turning our public shame into viral content. It gives our entire country a bad name.
Public spitting is a serious health risk. Spit carries germs, bacteria and viruses. A person might be infected with tuberculosis, whooping cough or other airborne diseases. When they spit in public, those germs mix with dust and settle on surfaces or get carried through the atmosphere. Others, especially children and the elderly, unknowingly breathe it in. Public places are not personal property they belong to everyone, so why treat shared spaces that way?
Spitting in public is not freedom - it is irresponsibility.
Yumna Zahid Ali, Karachi
Air quality in Pakistan
Dear Editor,
Air quality in Pakistan has deteriorated rapidly in recent years, with pollution levels far exceeding safe limits. According to the 2024 World Air Quality Report by IQAir, Pakistan ranked as the third most polluted country globally, after Chad and Bangladesh. Lahore, Multan and Peshawar remain among the most polluted cities, with Lahore often topping global pollution charts. The average PM2.5 concentration in Pakistan is nearly 15 times higher than the WHO’s safe limit. Alarmingly, 98 percent of Pakistan’s population lives in areas that exceed even the national air quality standards.
This pollution crisis has serious consequences for public health. Long-term exposure is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and shortens life expectancy by an average of 3.9 years. Outdoor air pollution causes over 22,000 premature deaths in Pakistan each year. The government must act urgently by controlling vehicle and industrial emissions, restricting open waste burning and promoting cleaner energy solutions.
Nida M. Azeem, Pidrak
Editor:
Lubna Khalid
Sub-editor:
Sameen Amer
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