ISLAMABAD: The Senate Subcommittee on National Health Services (NHS) on Thursday directed the ministry of NHS to take all stakeholders on board and finalise ‘The Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health (Amendment) Bill, 2016’.

Tabled by PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussein Syed, the bill majorly focuses on banning tobacco advertisements and calls for even banning retailers from advertising tobacco products inside their shops as it may encourage young people to take up smoking. The bill says tobacco companies should not be allowed to sponsor health camps, plantations campaigns, sport and similar events as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Defending the bill, Senator Syed said that it was the responsibility of all parliamentarians to preserve, protect and promote the interests of the people of Pakistan.

“About half the smokers die of tobacco related diseases and 10 years are reduced from every smokers’ life. We should play our role in stopping [people from] smoking,” he said.

“We cannot [accommodate] the corporate sector in this regard just because they contribute to the economy. Otherwise people will demand to be allowed to open casinos, to sell drugs or to establish places for immoral activities,” he added.

The senator said that the chairman of the committee, Nauman Wazir cares about the interests of the nation rather than that of the corporate sector and also spoke well of Senator Mian Ateeq Sheikh.

In a previous meeting of the standing committee in which Senator Syed could not take part, both Senator Wazir and Senator Sheikh had spoken against the bill and for the interests of tobacco growers and tobacco companies, saying their interests should also considered.

The PML-Q leader said the bill should be passed as Pakistan is signatory to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Senator Wazir said that though he was in favour of activities held under CSR, he will ensure that the FCTC is not violated.

NHS Minister Saira Afzal Tarar agreed with Senator Syed and said that claims of some NGOs had presented wrong data in order to get the bill passed.

“The statistics we have collected also show that tobacco consumption is injurious to health and that tobacco consumption leads to deaths,” she said.

A representative of the Pakistan Tobacco Company, Asad Shah agreed that tobacco consumption is injurious to health but argued that tobacco products are legal and that people should have a choice of whether they want to smoke.

He said the FCTC is just a guideline and is not mandatory to implement. However, he said, tobacco companies were still implementing the convention in letter and spirit. He added that the tobacco industry is one of the most regulated and that guidelines on advertisements were adhered to.

“We do not use the name of tobacco companies during CSR activities. However, smuggles cigarettes are sold in the open market which poses problems for tobacco companies,” he said.

The Network for Consumer Protection head Nadeem Iqbal, who assisted in drafting the bill said the bill called for cigarettes to be kept away from children.

“CSR activities should be banned according to the FCTC. In fact, we should go one step ahead because we have over 100 million people below the age of 22 years [in this country] which is why our policies should be more youth oriented,” he said.

Mr Iqbal suggested the ingredients used to make cigarettes should be written on the packaging as that is the only way people will be fully aware of its hazards.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2016