“Give priority to health over business, save our
children from tobacco! Implement 85% Pictorial Health Warning Immediately” This
is the call of the partners of CTC-Pak on the World No Tobacco Day. While the
world is going for stricter tobacco control policies, the people of Pakistan
are still waiting for the government to fulfill its two years old commitment to
implement 85% enhanced Pictorial Health Warning (PHW) on cigarette packs
announced back in January 2015.
“The
PHW cautious the smokers and others around him about the health hazards from
tobacco use. But unfortunately the decision for larger warning on cigarette
packs in public health interest is not implemented so far. We demand the
government to implement the PHW decision immediately to protect our youth and
children from tobacco.” Said Khurram Hashmi, the National Coordinator of CTC-Pak.
“More than 555,000 children continue to use tobacco each day. Youth is considered
as future of nation. If there is no youth that means the future is at stake.”
He said.
Around
the world, proven measures to reduce tobacco use have greatly reduced the health
and economic costs associated with tobacco. These measures include increased
tobacco taxes, large pictorial warning labels on tobacco products, restrictions
on tobacco advertising and bans on smoking in indoor public places. These measures are called for by the world’s
first public health treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FCTC), which obligates its 180 parties to implement these proven policies to
reduce tobacco use.
“Pakistan
ratified the FCTC and became a party in 2004. The existing PHW were implemented
in 2010 which were supposed to be rotatory every year. After five years in
2015, the government took a huge step to protect the youth of Pakistan by
enhancing the warning size from 40% to 85%. Tobacco industry always target new
smoker which is youth and productive force of the nation. There is grave need
to inform our coming generation how the industry is playing with their lives.” The
National Coordinator CTC-Pak emphasized.” The tobacco industry’s deep pockets,
skilled lobbying and clever marketing campaigns targeting youth and children remain
the greatest obstacle to progress in addressing the devastating global toll of
tobacco use.”
“We are also concern on the new budget proposal
regarding taxes on tobacco as we understand the new proposals will make the
cigarette more cheaply available to the youth particularly. This year the World Health Organization (WHO) is
calling on countries around the world to prioritize tobacco control and combat
the tobacco epidemic in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
However in Pakistan the situation is reversed in the recent budget.” said M.
Atta Qureshi, President FARZ Association, a CTC-Pak partner from Rawalpindi.
