I FEEL that given the current smog situation, smoking should be banned in parks and public spaces.

The smog in Lahore and its peripheries is terrible. The air quality is so bad that the Punjab government even closed private and public institutions along with schools.

So I was saddened to see, on my last visit, youngsters and the elderly smoking in the Race Course Park. They do not care how much our environment is badly affected by pollution. This is the only place where people enjoy fresh air, if people smoke in parks then where the others go for fresh air and exercise.

The director of the horticulture department says that this park has been declared a smoking-free zone but people are still lighting cigarettes here.

I request the authorities concerned to take a serious step on this issue.

Ajaz Ahmed Mengal
Dera Murad Jamali

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2019