HYDERABAD, Feb 6: Quoting findings of a survey, the director-general, health services, Sindh, Dr Abdul Sattar Korai, has said that there are 25 million smokers in Pakistan and 1,200 people take up smoking daily while 100,000 people die every day of complications caused due to smoking.

He was speaking at a meeting of tobacco control committee here on Friday. He said that one cigarette lessened eleven minutes from a smoker’s life.

He said that it was the need of the hour that organisations concerned should enforce ordinance 2002 regarding protection of non-smokers and to curb smoking in Pakistan in letter and spirit. It is apprehended that increase in number of tobacco users would cause the death of 25 million people by 2025.

The coordinator for tobacco control programme, Sindh, Musrat Shaheena, said that cigarette, gutka, mainpuri, betel nut and naswar were the main causes of cancer.