PTB’s letter to ministry regretted

Islamabad
Tobacco control advocates have regretted a recent communication by the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) to the minister for commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan, warning of a major shortfall in revenue in case the new pictorial health warnings are adopted.
In reaction to that, TheNetwork for Consumer Protection Friday sent a letter to Khurram Dastgir Khan, drawing his attention to the fact that it is not PTB’s mandate to do advocacy for the tobacco industry and thus become a tool in their hands.
With reference to a newspaper report dated March 3, 2015 about a letter by PTB, the executive coordinator of TheNetwork (TN) writes that TN understands the PTB in its letter has credited that “excessive 85% health warnings on cigarette packs will negatively impact consumer demand for such cigarette packs.” He contradicted the PTB’s stance saying this (reduction in consumers’ demand of cigarette packs) is exactly in line with the spirit of the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the government’s regulation (SRO No 22(KE)/2015).
For this, TheNetwork, along with international community including WHO, has congratulated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The same was highlighted by tobacco control advocates and partners in a meeting held a day after announcement of historic decision, Nadeem Iqbal has written in the letter.
“TheNetwork opines that the PTB, by writing the letter challenging the steps taken by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) to curb the menace of tobacco, has gone beyond its mandate which unfortunately is to promote tobacco crop and its export. This has been vividly enunciated in the PTB ordinance,” he says in the letter.
Referring to the PTB letter, Nadeem said, PTB has demanded of the commerce ministry to take the matter of enhancing the pictorial warnings to the inter-ministerial committee; however, according to the TOR of the inter-ministerial committee, it is clearly stipulated that the committee would oversee implementation and create an enabling environment to ensure the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smoking Ordinance 2002 and Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) 2004, he says.
“Tobacco control advocates also understand that involving PTB in its vicious game is one of the tobacco industry’s tactics and the industry is relentlessly pursuing its agenda to engage the government and tobacco control advocates in useless controversies only to divert their attention from tobacco control measures,” the letter further says.
In the end, the letter, which has also been sent to minister for finance Ishaq Dar and minister for NHSRC Saira Afzal Tarar, calls upon the minister for commerce to direct PTB not to go beyond its mandate.