DESPITE being aware of the negative causes of tobacco, a large number of people smoke cigarettes and ignore its harmful effects to human health. Pitifully, there are nearly 60 million people in the world who smoke.

This is causing lethal diseases of lung and heart in large numbers of people.

Smoking is set to kill seven million people in 2015 and 8.5 million in 2030, with the biggest rise in poor and middle - income countries across the world. According to the World Health Organisation, each 6.5 seconds a smoker dies.

If the current trend of smoking continues, tobacco use will kill one billion people in the 21st century.

It’s estimated that 1.3 billion people are smokers worldwide whereas 33 to 50 percent of all die due to smoking habits and by suffering from major diseases such as lung cancer, mouth cancer, heart diseases and rigorous problems related to throat, kidney issue too, caused by tobacco.

Among these diseases, most are so severe that their treatment are not available and their remedy remains a distant dream.

Smoking is increasing worldwide today. The solution lies in banning smoking at various places, including public privately owned places such as shopping malls, parks, and restaurants.

Everyone should aim at strictly following the laws preventing smoking in these areas, in order to cope with this alarming issue faced by people. Timely action by the authorities concerned can save millions of lives.

Z.M BALOCH Turbat