PIMA to launch quit tobacco drive

Islamabad: The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) will launch its ‘Quit Tobacco during Ramazan’ campaign, coinciding it with the National No-Tobacco Day on the 1st of Ramazan. The aim is to encourage smokers to quit smoking, using the will power of enduring long fasts.

Programmes and lectures will be arranged in PIMA units, anti-tobacco literature will be distributed, and social media utilized to sensitize public about this menace.

PIMA President Prof. Muhammad Afzal Mian said in a press release on Thursday, that Ramazan is one of the most important month of the Islamic calendar as it is a time for fasting, praying, forgiveness and purification. It is seen as a time to start positive habits, making it an ideal time to stop tobacco. He requested doctors to ask patients to quit tobacco in Ramazan. This is because people are forced to quit smoking while fasting anyway, and if they try, they can develop the will power to say goodbye to smoking forever.