Scientists urge Pakistani policymakers to join global dialogue on environmental drivers of drug-resistant infections.

A conference held last week focused on how environmental damage drives drug‑resistant infections. The author noted the lack of Pakistani scientists and policymakers at the event, despite the country’s documented challenges in antimicrobial resistance and environmental degradation. Pakistan faces serious issues with sewage, plastic waste, and other pollution, which are linked in studies to rising antimicrobial resistance. The author questioned why Pakistani experts are missing from global conversations that connect environmental harm to public health risks. The author reflected that relying on laboratory and field data alone is insufficient to influence policy; policymakers often prioritize other concerns due to budget constraints and inertia. With about fifteen years of work on antibiotic resistance, the author observed widespread inappropriate antibiotic use in Pakistan, including prescriptions over phone or WhatsApp and self‑medication by families. Globally, evidence‑based policy is weakening, and many health measures still rely on top‑down international recommendations rather than local scientific evidence. The author emphasizes that making science relevant to policy requires transparency, local accessibility, community relevance, and communication among scientists, journalists, social scientists, and politicians. Multiple pieces, such as trust and cross‑disciplinary dialogue, are missing, limiting the translation of research into actionable policy in Pakistan.