Pakistan, Nov. 10 -- Every winter, India's smog arrives on schedule, and the finger pointing west follows close behind. Delhi's sky turns grey, television studios fill with panellists who have never read an air quality study, and by the second night Pakistan stands convicted. The arrangement is tidy. The awkward part is that India's own officials, satellites and scientists keep contradicting the verdict.

Start with Punjab, where 1,514 farm fires have been recorded on the Indian side of the border alone. Delhi's environment minister spent this week blaming Punjab's AAP government, citing 584 farm fires on November 3, the worst single day of the season. The Commission for Air Quality Management then summoned district officials and police c...