TOBA TEK SINGH: Hundreds of workers gathered in Faisalabad on Friday for a rally to protest the use and expansion of captive coal in Pakistan, as part of the ‘Global Day of Action against Coal’.

The event was organised by the Pakistan Labour Qaumi Movement and the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee.

Speaking to the participants, Labour Qaumi Movement Central Chairman Baba Latif highlighted the severe pollution affecting urban areas, which has become a major health crisis impacting workers and labourers daily. He demanded an immediate halt to all industrial use of coal and other fossil fuels, warning that local neighbourhoods are becoming increasingly unlivable.

“In winters, Faisalabad turns into a gas chamber because of smog. It is an industrial city, and environmental regulations here are non-existent,” he added. Latif said Pakistan was showing inclination to revert to domestic coal for energy needs as experts consider lignite coal in the country substandard and harmful, potentially leading to environmental degradation if used in power plants.

Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee General Secretary Farooq Tariq said over 100 coordinated mass actions took place in 72 cities and provinces in the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2024