Smoking Hunts 160,000 People Every Year in Pakistan

News Desk

Islamabad/Peshawar: An estimated 160,000 people die of smoking in Pakistan every year and this ratio of deaths is growing with every passing day while over 600,000 passive smokers die across the world, it was informed during a meeting held at Deputy Commissioner Secretariat Peshawar on Tuesday.

The meeting was further informed that 600 million trees and 8.5 million hectares of land were being used for smoking purposes while 84 million ton of carbon dioxide were released into the environment due to smoking.

To control the situation, the provincial health department, in cooperation with the district management, chalked out a comprehensive program in Abbottabad, Hari Pur and Peshawar to control smoking, the meeting observed.

The DC Peshawar said that the district administration has made all the parks smoking-free in the provincial capital, adding that the relevant staff has been directed to ensure that cigarettes are not being sold by the Tuck shops within the parks.

Meanwhile, speakers at a seminar in Rawalpindi termed tobacco a “poison” and appealed to the government to take effective measures to control its increasing use in the country.

“Tobacco has been impacting our society, especially the youth very badly. Students, who use tobacco in any shape, are more vulnerable to drug addiction. To set Pakistan on the path to development and prosperity, curbing tobacco products is of paramount importance,” said Imran, a participant of the seminar.

Addressing the special seminar, Additional Deputy Commissioner-General (ADCG) Capt (Retd) Qasim Ijaz said that efforts were underway to make Rawalpindi Tobacco-free and create awareness among the people about the deadly effects of the use of tobacco.

As many as 438 people die daily due to smoking, and it was an alarming situation for a developing country like Pakistan, ADCG) Capt (Retd) Qasim Ijaz.

Deputy Director Social Welfare Muhammad Akram urged the civil society, media and medical community to create awareness about the hazards of tobacco and implementation of the relevant laws.

Referring to the increasing trend of sheesha use in society, Akram termed it a dangerous source of inhaling nicotine.

District Health Officer Dr Waqar Ahmed said that tobacco users have risen from 40 to 44 per cent, and in women from 6% to 9% during the last two years, which was alarming.

Dr Waqar informed that around 60 kinds of Cancers were due to tobacco smoking, adding a large number of youngsters were lured to smoking due to attractive advertisements.

The health officer urged medical professionals to create awareness among the people about the negative effects of tobacco on human life.

Meanwhile, PANAH Director Operations Sanaullah Ghumman while addressing an awareness walk-participants in Islamabad said: “On World No Tobacco Day, I want to send a message to our young generation that tobacco is the first step towards addiction, and when buying any tobacco product is tantamount to buying diseases by spending our own money. I request you to stop tobacco products from your life, so that we could lay the foundations of a healthy society,” he remarked.

He urged the government to increase the tax on tobacco products by 30 per cent in accordance with the recommendations of the World Bank to discourage their use.

 “This will be a win-win situation for us as it will not only reduce the burden of the healthcare system but also significantly increase the revenue,” he added