Pak's own agency busts its 'Diwali firework' pollution theory as AQI crosses 600

After AQI in Lahore crossed 600 this week, Pakistan's air quality agency found no conclusive evidence linking pollution to Diwali fireworks in India, contradicting earlier official claims. A Pakistan Air Quality Initiative report detected 16,714 likely crop-residue fires in Punjab between October 1 and November 9. It estimated that 89% of pollution was linked to local crop-residue burning.