u/deputyCheif

This is not about politics. It is about public health and environmental negligence.

For the past nearly 15 days, garbage has been continuously burned near Main Barki Road, beside Paragon City and Green City, right in front of the Rangers Headquarters in Lahore. Toxic smoke has been spreading across the entire area, affecting thousands of residents and commuters daily.

The severely affected areas include:

• Paragon City

• Green City

• DHA Ivy

• Entire population living and travelling across Barki Road

Residents are being forced to breathe polluted air day and night. Many are reporting breathing problems, eye irritation, headaches, and severe discomfort because of the constant smoke and smell.

What makes the situation even more alarming is that the AQI in this area has reportedly remained above 200 during these days, significantly worse than many other parts of Lahore. While the city already struggles with pollution, this area is facing dangerously unhealthy air conditions with no visible emergency response.

Despite all this, the Environment Department and concerned authorities remain silent. This is happening in the provincial capital, yet no serious action has been taken to stop it.

Environmental protection cannot remain limited to press conferences and public statements while people continue suffering on the ground.

Authorities must:

• Immediately stop the open burning of garbage

• Hold those responsible accountable

• Conduct an air quality assessment in the area and publicly share the findings

Clean air is not a privilege. It is a basic human right.

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I’ve been thinking about something recently and wanted to share a small realization.

Many of us spend time learning about investments, mutual funds, equities, taxes, risk management, and so on. Once we get a basic understanding, it’s easy to feel like we’re making smarter financial decisions than the older generation, who often prefer to hold cash or stick to traditional assets.

I used to think the same way.

But then I noticed something interesting. An aunt in my family has been consistently investing in gold over the past three years. No complex strategies, no active management, just steady accumulation.

With the recent price movement in gold, her portfolio has significantly outperformed typical money market returns and likely even the average retail investor’s returns in equities.

It made me pause.

Maybe investing success isn’t always about having the most knowledge or following the “optimal” strategy. Consistency, timing, and a bit of luck can play a much bigger role than we like to admit.

The point of sharing this is simple: it’s easy to underestimate others, especially when their approach doesn’t align with what we’ve learned. But there’s often something to learn from everyone.

Would be interested to hear if others have had similar realizations.