Govt slammed for failing to enforce tobacco ban

The Coalition for Tobacco Control-Pakistan (CTC-Pak) said on Tuesday that the provincial government had failed to enforce its own decision of banning the sale and use of sheesha, gutka, and mainpuri and smoking at public places.

Representatives of the CTC-Pak, a coalition of over 250 organisations on tobacco control, at a press conference on Tuesday, demanded that the authorities should ensure the implementation of the ban on chewable tobacco – a decision made by the Sindh cabinet on October 1 - and strictly enforce tobacco control laws.

“Passing the law is not enough,” said Mir Zulfiqar Ali, the executive director of Workers Education and Research Organisation and a CTC-Pak member.

“The first 30 days after this order was passed, strict enforcement and crackdowns started in some suburbs of the metropolis and ghutka and mainpuri along with sheesha products were removed from shops selling them. But it is unfortunate to observe, after just two months, these injurious products have started to reappear in those markets.”

Ali said the authorities did not take action against shopkeepers involved in selling chewable tobacco in a large number of areas in the city. Based on the finding of recent researches, he said that Karachi topped the list in terms of gutka consumption in the country.

Applauding the chief minister’s decision to impose a ban on the sale of chewable tobacco, Ali said he was aware about the challenges in the enforcement of law faced by the administration.

However, he offered that the tobacco control alliance could provide technical assistance that would contribute towards the efficiency of enforcement efforts.

A large number of young boys and girls have unnecessarily been suffering from diseases caused by tobacco use and it could be prevented by implementing tobacco control laws under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control guidelines, he said.

Qasim Ali Khawaja, communications coordinator of the CTC-Pak, said the Sindh government had set a good example for federal and other provincial governments to give serious attention to pending tobacco control laws in good faith.

However, he said that strong will and determination are the only way to overcome manufacturing and sale of to paan, gutka, supari and other forms of smokeless tobacco.

The CTC-Pak is the first and active entity working towards smokeless tobacco control to find a way to restrict its use.

They main work on development and adoption of legislative measures for a ban on tobacco promotion advertisement, pictorial health warnings, campaigning for raise in tobacco taxes and controlling smuggling of tobacco products.