ICT administration confiscates illicit cigarettes during raids at sale points

Islamabad: We will purge our cities of substances that are harmful to the population. Tobacco use kills 160,000 Pakistanis every year and hundreds of underage kids start smoking every day. Although all district management and law enforcement agencies are focused on ensuring peace during Muharram, yet we have started our campaign to check sale of illicit tobacco, sale of cigarettes near educational institutions, and enforcement of tobacco control laws across the country.

Hamza Shafqaat, Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad, made this observation while spearheading the Excise Department inspection team for conducting raids at tobacco outlets in Islamabad’s Super Market. He was accompanied by Dr. Asif Raheem, Additional Deputy Commissioner who is the focal person on tobacco control and public health in the District Administration.

The Director Excise ICT Sajid Bilal and his enforcement team checked sale of smuggled tobacco goods and verified licensing status of vendors. Sale of tobacco products in ICT is subject to vendor’s license through the Excise Department. Sajid Bilal was of the view that licensing of tobacco vendors has proved to be a very effective tool in controlling unlawful sale of cigarettes. “This protects our kids from harmful effects of smoking and uneventful loss of life due to cancers and heart diseases, “he added. The excise team issued warnings to shopkeepers and asked them to get their licenses issued or renewed within a week.

Dr. Minhaj us Siraj, Deputy Director General (Health), Ministry of National Health Services, who also heads the Tobacco Control Cell at the Ministry and the Tobacco Smoke Free Cities’ project, cherished the allegiance of the District Administration towards the cause of protecting lives. He said that the health department considers preventive measures as a priority.

It is worth mentioning that the Islamabad Smoke-Free City model was declared best practice in preventing non-smokers’ health by the Tobacco Control Secretariat of World Health Organisation, this year.