September 03, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 2, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 2: The month of Ramazan provides the perfect opportunity to kick the habit of smoking once and for all, said Professor Jawaid Khan, Head of the Section of Pulmonology, Aga Khan University Hospital.

He was speaking at ‘Quit smoking day’ commemorated at the university. It was pointed out that the first day of Ramazan is commemorated all over the Muslim world as quit smoking day.

Citing figures, Prof Khan said that “every cigarette puff contains 4,700 toxins, of which 60 are proven to cause cancer of various organs of the body. Tobacco kills half of those who use it, with its victims dying, on average, 15 to 20 years prematurely.”

Several health professionals as well as religious scholars spoke at the event. They discussed the hazards of smoking and emphasized the ease with which Ramazan facilitates giving up the habit.

Engineer Naveed Ahmed, a scholar, said that several Islamic injunctions call on followers to look after their health and to avoid unhealthy habits.

He called on religious scholars in general to utilize this time of the year to disseminate relevant information to the public on the hazards of tobacco use.

Referring to the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, AKU Assistant Professor Dr Mohammad Irfan pointed out that the government, as signatory to the convention, was bound to take strong anti-tobacco measures in the country.

He noted the government’s failure in this regard as today, 40 per cent of men and eight per cent of women are regular smokers in Pakistan.

Dr Irfan regretted that tobacco companies have a free hand in promoting the powerful addictive substance to young people and called on the government to demonstrate a proactive approach to controlling the tobacco epidemic.

Pakistan Hypertension League representative and a consultant cardiologist at the university, Dr Mohammad Ishaq, said: “Passive smoking amounts to a serious health risk to non-smokers. Smoking should be banned at all times in all public places and public transport should be made smoke-free as described in the laws passed by the federal cabinet in 2002.”

He quoted a recent UNDP study which shows that regionally, annual cigarette consumption per person is highest in Pakistan (629) as compared to Sri Lanka (392), Bangladesh (202) and India (119).—APP