November 16, 2006	Thursday	Shawwal 23, 1427

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PESHAWAR, Nov 15: The Pakistan Chest Society has demanded implementation of the Prohibition of Smoking Ordinance, 2002. Dr Mukhtiar Zaman Afridi, chief of the society’s NWFP chapter, said while presenting a memorandum to provincial ministers at the NWFP Assembly following a walk held on Tuesday to mark the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day that cigarettes were being openly sold in proximity of educational institutions. He said Section 9 of the ordinance prohibited sale of tobacco and its products, especially to minors, within 50m of an educational institution.

He said the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mainly caused by smoking or exposure to fumes and other air pollutants, was the fourth commonest cause of deaths in the world, claiming three million lives every year.

He said the disease was preventable but said increase in use of tobacco had caused the number of patients to increase.

He said that under the ordinance smoking had been banned in public transport and places, including offices, but it was not being enforced.

A doctor said the chief justice of Pakistan had taken suo motu notice of non-implementation of the ordinance. He said it was the responsibility of the government to enforce the law as non-enforcement of the ban was endangering the lives of non-smokers.

He alleged that cigarette manufacturers were trying to block the implementation of the ordinance.