Babur’s Mango and the Modern Heatwave

As the fierce heat of early June descends like a heavy mantle upon the plains of South Asia, it brings with it a trial as ancient as the rivers that carve through these lands. In Pakistan and across the adjacent regions, the sun beats down with unsparing intensity, drying the soil into cracked earth and intensifying drought even before the monsoon clouds gather on the horizon. This seasonal rhythm has shaped the lives of millions for centuries, forging a people whose endurance has become legendary.

The founder of the Mughal Empire, Zahiruddin Babur, captured something of this in his celebrated autobiography, the “Tuzk-e-Babri”. He described the three months of monsoon in India as a period difficult to endure, marked by stifling humidity and discomfort, yet he found consolation in the surpassing sweetness of a certain fruit—widely believed to be the mango—whose ripe abundance offered delight amid the hardship. The very sight of its leaves, he noted, brought a measure of cheer. Nevertheless, Babur’s inclinations often drew him toward the cooler breezes of his native Ferghana Valley or the shaded hills and mountain retreats of his new dominion, where one might escape the oppressive warmth.

In our own era, the same longing stirs in the hearts of Pakistanis when the temperatures climb. Families make plans to seek relief in the lush northern valleys or the misty heights of Murree and the Galyat. Those blessed with greater means fly to the temperate shores of Europe, while countless others whose sons and daughters have settled abroad journey to Canada, America, or Britain to pass the hottest weeks in familial comfort.

In my quiet neighbourhood in Islamabad, such discussions unfold over cups of tea beneath the slow-turning fans. My neighbour former banker Mr. Shahid Ansari, a robust and cheerful man whom our mutual friend and neighnour Mr. Yousuf Khalid, a veteran merchant Navy Captain titled him “Maz’ay kay Aadmi” often teases for his boundless optimism and love of sport, spoke to us only days ago of his hopes. A devoted follower of cricket and football alike, Ansari had arranged for his son in Canada to host him, with dreams of attending a live FIFA match in a grand stadium. Yet fresh reports of worsening heat across Europe gave him pause. Hundreds of excess deaths have already been recorded in the ongoing European heatwave, with temperatures soaring above forty degrees Celsius in several countries and placing unprecedented strain on the elderly, the young, and healthcare systems. “If one must suffer such warmth,” Ansari observed with his characteristic wry humour, “it is wiser to stay among our own resilient people in Pakistan.”

Indeed, the inhabitants of this region possess a hardy spirit tempered by long acquaintance with extremes. Allah Almighty has endowed them with an immunity to hardship that astonishes outsiders. Even as the mercury approaches or exceeds fifty degrees Celsius in places like Sindh and southern Punjab—conditions that have gripped parts of the country in recent weeks—one may still witness labourers repairing roads or roofs, mechanics tending engines, or women preparing meals over open flames in the scorching air. Daily life continues with quiet determination, pots simmer on stoves, and markets bustle despite the oppressive haze.

Pakistan has faced prolonged heatwaves this season, with temperatures several degrees above normal, exacerbating drought and straining water resources ahead of the uncertain monsoon. Yet it would be a grave injustice to hold these people accountable for the broader forces now intensifying such trials. The inhabitants of Pakistan and South Asia have contributed minimally to the global accumulation of greenhouse gases. The primary responsibility lies with the great industrial powers of past and present. Authoritative records leave no room for doubt. Since 1750, the United States has emitted nearly a quarter of all historical carbon dioxide—roughly 400 billion tonnes or more—far outstripping any other single nation.

The countries of the European Union together account for almost a fifth of cumulative emissions. China, today the largest annual emitter with more than 13 billion tonnes of CO₂ recently, stands second in historical terms at around 11 percent. Russia, and nations such as Brazil and Indonesia through land-use changes, also feature prominently. Global energy-related CO₂ emissions reached a record 37.8 gigatonnes in 2024, with significant contributions from China, the United States, India, and others. These long-term emissions have driven the warming that makes heatwaves more frequent, intense, and deadly worldwide.

Europe has begun to feel the sting of its own making. The summer of 2022 claimed over 60,000 lives across the continent from heat-related causes. Subsequent years have seen tens of thousands more, and the early 2026 heatwave has already produced more than 1,300 excess deaths in a short span, with climate change identified as a major amplifying factor. What was long a distant problem for distant lands has now arrived at prosperous doorsteps. As the proverb wisely observes, one truly understands pain only when it touches one’s own flesh.

The time for reckoning is upon us all. Wealthier nations, having reaped the fruits of early industrialisation, bear a moral duty to slash emissions sharply, invest in clean technology, and support adaptation in vulnerable countries like Pakistan. Emerging economies must chart greener courses of development. Every individual—through mindful consumption, advocacy, and stewardship—must play a part. Only through such collective wisdom, rooted in justice and foresight, can we shield our children and grandchildren from a future of unendurable heat. In the shade of the mango tree or the cool breeze of the northern hills, may we resolve to act before the trials of summer become the fate of every season.