RAWALPINDI: Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali on Friday ordered immediate action to rid Murree of smoking cigerettes.

He said Murree is a place where people from all over Pakistan come for sightseeing and recreation. He said a smoke-free Murree will reflect a smoke-free Pakistan.

He stated this while chairing a meeting of the District Tobacco Control Implementation Committee held in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services.

He said in other tehsils of Rawalpindi recreational places should also be made smoke free immediately.

The government has also issued orders to put up ‘No smoking’ boards outside all schools and colleges in Rawalpindi under the tobacco smoke-free cities project.

Director Tobacco Control Focal Point World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Dr Samra Mazhar said an estimated 160,000 people in Pakistan smoke every year.

“Smoking deaths can be prevented. The sale of cigarettes to persons under 18 years of age is prohibited in all pan/tobacco shops across the district. The sale, distribution and storage of cigarettes up to 50 metres from the boundaries of educational institutions is also prohibited,” she said.

Other officials said ‘Stop smoking service clinics’ will be set up at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital and Family Hospital (HFH) to help people quit smoking.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2021