Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann mocks Pakistan CM Maryam Nawaz over cross-border stubble smoke

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has taken a jab at Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and current chief minister of Pakistani Punjab, over the ongoing issue of cross-border pollution from crop stubble burning. Mann made his remarks at the Punjab Vision-2047 event at Panjab University, where he addressed the issue of smog affecting both India and Pakistan.

In a sarcastic tone, Mann stated, “A Pakistani is the Chief Minister of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam, and she says she will write a letter to me, claiming our smoke reaches Lahore. Here in India, people say our smoke is reaching Delhi. I joked that our smoke just circles around. Everyone blames us for it.”

Without directly naming her, Mann also alluded to former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s alleged Pakistani friend, Aroosa Alam, adding, “If someone from Pakistan troubled us before, she can bother you too.”

Maryam Nawaz recently commented on the need for cooperation between India and Pakistan to tackle pollution, particularly the smog that impacts Punjab and Lahore.

She expressed her intention to write a letter to the Indian Punjab CM, saying, “This is not a political issue but a human one, and while we are taking steps on our side, there should be coordinated efforts from India as well.”

Maryam said that air pollution doesn’t recognize borders, adding, “The winds do not know there is a line between the two countries. Unless we make arrangements to protect people on both sides, we cannot combat the smog.”