ISLAMABAD: Experts on Wednesday stressed that deadly products of the tobacco industry are risking the lives of Pakistani children as well as youth and urged the government to ensure that they remain protected.
They were speaking at a seminar the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child held in connection with World No-Tobacco Day.
Addressing the seminar, Parliamentary Secretary Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro said that while the sixty-one million youth are an asset for Pakistan, the harmful and addictive tobacco products pose a danger to the country’s present and future.
She said nearly 1,200 children start smoking daily, and 170,000 people die annually from tobacco-induced illnesses. Pakistan cannot let young lives suffer at any cost, and for that, increasing tobacco rates to keep it away from children’s reach is necessary.
Member of Standing Committee Health Dr Nisar Ahmed Cheema, said that due to inflation, Pakistan’s children and youth faced severe problems in meeting their nutritional, educational, and recreational needs. Hence, all should welcome and support the government’s decision to raise tobacco rates.
Youth Bombarded with Ads, Sales of Tobacco Products
NA Committee for National Health Services member Dr Samina Matloob said that the youth was being bombarded with advertisements and sales of tobacco products. It is the collective responsibility of the nation to protect its children and youth from these harmful products.
Former Technical Head of the Tobacco Control Cell at the Ministry of Health Dr Ziauddin Islam, said the tobacco sector claimed to be a provider, but in reality, it was causing harm to the economy. He also appreciated the recent decision by the government to raise Federal Excise Duty on tobacco products.
Higher Education Commission Director General Suleman Ahmed said that the youth needed a safe and healthy future. The policymakers should decide whether they wanted to support the new generation or an industry which was seeking to recruit these youth to keep its profits going.
Program Manager SPARC Khalil Ahmed Dogar said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) track and trace system was a great way to ensure that the tobacco industry could not cause any further harm to the economy. He said that since the implementation of this system, the production of cigarette sticks has decreased while the tax collection by FBR has improved by 11.75%.
