SWABI: Representatives of tobacco growers and local leaders of various political parties here on Saturday demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to take back the Prohibition of Tobacco and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Bill, 2016, saying its passage would have worst impact on the tobacco cultivators in eight districts of the province.

They were speaking at a conference organised by Kashthkar Coordination Council (KCC) and attended by local leaders of Awami National Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Peoples Party and Qaumi Watan Party.

Tobacco is grown in Swabi, Mardan, Charsadda, Battagram, Mansehra, Buner, Nowshera and Swat districts.

Say proposed law’s passage will adversely affect their livelihood

The bill was presented in the KP Assembly on Sept 26, but the growers and political activists said that it was in fact an anti-tobacco law and if passed it would result in huge financial loss for the growers and affect their livelihood.

The participants formed an action committee, including Awal Sher (ANP), Javid Inqilabi ( PPP ), Mahmoodul Hassan (JI), Masood Jabar (QWP), Asar Khan (JUI-F) and KCC’s Liaquat Yousafzai.

The committee members would meet with lawmakers here in the district and similar arrangements would be made in seven other tobacco growing districts by the growers.

It was announced that they would hold a joint press conference in Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday to announce the next line of action.

Awal Sher, former provincial forest minister, said that thousands of families were dependent on tobacco crop for their livelihood and any harm to this cash crop would have negative impact on these people. “We welcome the anti-smoking law, but an anti-tobacco law is not acceptable,” he said.

Masood Jabar claimed that those who drafted the bill did not know about its implications for the growers.

SHELLS RECOVERED: The district police have recovered three rocket shells from a deserted area of Razaar tehsil here on Saturday.

Answering a question , district police officer Javid Iqbal said that the police had received information from the intelligence agencies about presence of militants in the area and later came to know about shells lying in a deserted area.

“The police have recovered three shells of rocket launcher from the Sheikh Jana village,” he confirmed.

Meanwhile, unidentified assailants killed an eight-year-old boy, identified as Osama Khan of Jehangira village, and threw his body in open fields on Saturday.

Father of the deceased has registered an FIR against the unknown killers with Tordher police station.

Published in Dawn October 2nd, 2016