Stop tobacco industry interference, CTC-Pak demands

Islamabad : The partners of the Coalition for Tobacco Control-Pakistan (CTC-Pak) have called upon the government to make tobacco control its top priority and to end the tobacco industry’s interference in policy matters including taxation.

In a statement released on World No Tobacco Day, CTC-Pak emphasized the need for Pakistan to adopt and implement the theme ‘Tobacco and Lung Health,’ as according to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco smoke has major implications for the lung health of smokers and non-smokers globally.

“Pakistan can only address the tobacco epidemic by fully implementing FCTC and adopting MPOWER measures. This can be achieved by enforcing effective policies to reduce the demand for tobacco. The government should resist the interference of the tobacco industry in policy implementation, especially on issues related to taxation and public health warnings,” said Khurram Hashmi, National Coordinator of CTC-Pak.

Khurram said, CTC-Pak welcomes the presence of a leading public health advocate as the Special Advisor to the PM on Health, adding that “if Pakistan has to achieve the SDG on reduction of Non-Communicable Diseases by 2030, tobacco control must be a top government priority.”