Number of smokers on the rise, says official

ABBOTTABAD: Tobacco Control Cell Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Project Director Ajmal Shah on Sunday said the number of people, who start smoking daily in Pakistan, had increased from 272 to 400.

He said this during a discussion with journalists on the topic of communication strategy for tobacco control.The official said a bill for anti-smoking legislation had been tabled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, which would enable the law-enforcement agencies to take countermeasures with clear authority.

Ajmal Shah said there was a ban on the sale of cigarettes without pictorial and written warnings.He added that cigarette-manufacturing companies had introduced new products after cigarettes and shisha were banned, which were said to be less harmful. He said the new generation was being enticed to smoke.

The official said that according to a survey conducted a decade ago, 272 young people started smoking daily in the country, whereas in the recent survey, this number was found to be more than 400.Ajmal Shah asked the media to support the Tobacco Control Cell in its efforts against smoking so that future generations can be saved.