ISLAMABAD: A year since the Minister of National Health Services (NHS) promised to do so, the warning labels on cigarette packs could not be enlarged from 40 to 85 pc.

In fact, Minster NHS Saira Afzal Tarar on Friday gave the tobacco industry another month to enlarge warnings on cigarette packs.

On World Tobacco Day, May 31 2014, the NHS Minister had vowed to change the size of the warning before the next world tobacco day and on February 11, 2015, she had told a news conference the warnings will cover 85 pc of a cigarette pack. This has not been implemented as yet.

Pakistan first introduced textual warning on cigarette packets in 1979 and the Prohibition of Smoking Ordinance was passed in 2002, after which the textual warning was improved. In 2004, Pakistan ratified the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and in 2009, it was decided to introduce pictorial warnings on the packets.

This decision was implemented in 2010 and it was agreed that according to the standard operating procedures, the pictorial warning will be changed every year because people get used to pictures. However, the pictorial warnings in Pakistan have not changed since 2010.

Health experts have criticised the ministry for the delays in implementing its decisions and appealed to the prime minister and the chief justice of the Supreme Court to intervene, saying it seemed impossible for the ministry to make good on its promises.

The Network for Consumer Protection, an NGO which has been campaigning for enlarging the pictorial warnings, has criticised the minister’s move in extending the deadline for tobacco companies by another month.

Executive Coordinator of The Network, Nadeem Iqbal said the ministry had issued a notification on January 29 to have the warnings enlarged.

“At that time, Ms Tarar had claimed the government will not leave any corner untouched when it came to protecting and caring for the people. Later she was also awarded by WHO for this bold initiative, but the decision could not be implemented,” he said.

Giving some statistics he said: “According to WHO 1,200 children take up smoking every day and 110,000 people die from illnesses caused by smoking every year and this is not including those effected by second hand smoking.”

Mr Iqbal added: “India is going to raise the size of warning on cigarette packs from April 1 of this year and Pakistan could have done this earlier if this extension had not been made”.

He alleged that documents submitted in court indicate that the health ministry had extended the deadline under pressure from the finance ministry and Prime Minister House.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2016