Despite a 6.6 μg/m3 reduction in PM2.5 levels, Pakistan topped the global list as the most li-bows busouaadxa podan suisled jo %o seun punot Aanns sosd ue uegunis s! health issues.61 The national crisis is driven by extreme local hotspots, as Pakistan was home μg/m3, or more than ten times the WHO annual average PM2.5 guideline. PM2.5 levels spiked across much of Pakistan in April and May, driven by extensive dust dispersal of construction dust, industrial pollutants, and vehicular exhaust. Pakistan's air quality crisis, claiming nearly 22,000 lives annually, continued in 2025.64 While urban air is perpetually degraded by industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, brick kilns, and construction dust, winter smog brings a seasonal peak as stubble burning in Punjab's fifth of the nation's pollution, stubble burning persists; weak enforcement and a lack of viable alternatives remain significant barriers to reform.6 Pakistan's 20,000 brick kilns-fueled by low-grade coal, tires, and sawdust-emit a mix of PM2.5, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, making them a leading source of urban smog.67 Unregulated brick kilns are common across South Asia and Pakistan, where 50% of brick kilns are located in Punjab Province alone. To better control the nation's brick kiln- sourced air pollution, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and other Annual hours spent at different PM2.5 pollution levels government agencies set an October 20, 2025 deadline for kilns to adopt cleaner “zigzag" technology or face demolition.s8 Brick kilns that adopt zigzag stacking require less coal, while coal is burnt more efficiently, emitting less black smoke.69