Punjab government has declared health emergency in response to escalating smog crisis in the province. Addressing a press conference in Lahore today, Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said decision is taken due to dangerous level of Air Quality Index. She said schools in Punjab, except Murree, will remain closed till next Friday.

Pakistan's Punjab government on Friday declared smog a “health crisis" and used artificial rain in several cities across the province in an effort to combat its hazardous levels, as millions reported breathing problems and other respiratory issues over the past month.

A Pakistani province declared a health emergency Friday due to smog and imposed a shutdown in two major cities. Smog has choked Punjab for weeks, sickening nearly 2 million people and shrouding vast swathes of the province in a toxic haze.

Pakistan's Punjab declared a health emergency due to toxic smog on Friday, banning construction, shutting schools for another week and moving universities online, with a three-day lockdown possible, the province's senior minister said on Friday.

From banning tuk-tuks and barbecues to demolishing old brick kilns, Pakistan's government is pushing a series of measures to fight record-breaking smog.