LAHORE used to one of my favourite cities. I always wanted to live there, and destiny took me to my dream city in November 2022 to pursue my higher education.

When I came to Lahore from my hometown in Karak district, I was in good health both physically and mentally. I was motivated to explore the city, make new friends, and face the challenges that are part of life. However, the air pollution in Lahore changed me as a person.

Winter, which used to be my favourite season, has now become a nightmare, with the dreaded smog taking over my mind as a monster. The pre-winter anxiety it triggers is unbelievable.

It has been going on since my first exposure to the menace of smog. One morning, while preparing to go to the library, I felt as if I was having a cardiac stroke.

I thought I was going to die the next minute. Luckily, the feeling went away in a few minutes. Then in the night, I got up in panic as my throat had all but choked. Horrified, I went to a hospital where, after a thorough investigation, the doctor told me I had had a panic attack.

Since then, my anxiety level gets high every winter. Air pollution might not be the only reason of this, but it is certainly a major trigger.

I was once in mad love with Lahore, but now I want to run away from the city.

Smog is affecting people physically as well as mentally. Unfortunately, the people cannot even breathe clean air which is an absolutely free blessing of mother nature.

Taimur Ahmad
Lahore

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2025