PM’s aide lauds Punjab CM for enforcing plastic ban, urges others to followsuit

Islamabad: Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam said that imposing of ban on plastic bags in the Punjab by the Provincial Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was a long-awaited move to deal with the hazardous effects of plastic on the environment and human health.

The PMs aide in a press statement on Sunday said that the Punjab chief minister has enforced a comprehensive ban on the manufacturing, distribution, sale and purchase of plastic all over the province in its strict form.

“We urge other provincial governments to follow suit to make Pakistan a plastic-free country”, she added. “Achi­eving plastic-free Pakistan is an extremely challenging goal, but it is possible with coordinated efforts by all provincial governments to completely ban manufacturing, distribution and sale and purchase of plastics in all forms and manifestations at all levels,” Romina Khurshid Alam remarked.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif enforced the province-wide ban on plastics on June 5, a move deliberately coincided with World Environment Day marked every globally on the same day. The Punjab chief minister had announced weeks before that the provincial plastic ban policy would be strictly enforced, particularly in hotels, restaurants and eateries, citing the detrimental effects of plastics on the environment and public health and stating that "No to Plastic" campaign is core of the anti-plastic policy, which aims at reducing environmental pollution and promoting eco-friendly initiatives.