Environment

Despite short-term improvements when winds disperse pollutants, Pakistan’s larger “smog season,” which typically lasts from October through February, has become a recurring annual crisis with economic and social costs that reverberate beyond public health into education, productivity and infrastructure planning.

The new bill is expected to complement these efforts by creating a robust domestic legal arsenal. It builds on existing tools like the proceeds of crime act while addressing gaps that have allowed convicted offenders to evade full accountability. Legal experts anticipate faster prosecutions and stronger deterrence, potentially reducing the cycle of gang-related violence that has terrorized communities.

Amnesty India’s CEO Aakar Patel has written extensively about...