ABBOTTABAD: Tobacco Control Cell, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, project director Ajmal Shah has said that the number of people starting smoking has increased from 272 to 400 a day in Pakistan.

He said that a bill for anti-smoking legislation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been tabled in the provincial assembly, which would enable the law-enforcement agencies to take measures for curbing smoking with a clear authority.

Mr Shah expressed these views here on Sunday during a discussion with mediapersons on the topic of ‘communication strategy for tobacco control’.

Flanked by local coordinator Asad Khan, he said that several actions had been taken by the administration for confiscation of illegal tobacco products. He said that there was a ban on the sale of cigarettes without pictorial and written warnings.

Mr Shah said that the tobacco manufacturing companies had now introduced new types of products after ban on cigarette and shisha, and the new generation was enticed to smoke.

He said that according to a survey conducted a decade ago 272 young people would start smoking daily in the country, whereas in the recent survey the number had gone up to over 400 a day.

According to the survey, many young people smoke in shisha cafes and other places, after which they were attracted to more bad things.

The project director said that the Tobacco Control Cell had brought a legal draft to the floor of the provincial assembly with a clear expectation that smoking would be effectively curbed after its approval and implementation.

Published in Dawn, january 2th, 2023