Jump to full article: The News (pk), 2009-05-31
Intro: Speakers at a symposium Saturday urged the government to enforce the anti-smoking laws in letter and spirit in order to protect people from the tobacco-related diseases.
The symposium was orgainsed by the NWFP chapter of the Pakistan Chest Society (PCS) at Lady Reading Hospital in connection with the 'World No Tobacco Day' being observed across the globe today (Sunday) to highlight the hazards of smoking.
Speaking on the occasion, Health Services Director Dr Fazle Qayyum, who is also the focal person for the tobacco control in the NWFP, said that presently around 2.2 million people in the country were smoking tobacco in various forms, while 1,200 new persons of the age 6-15 start smoking in Pakistan, which, he termed, an alarming trend.
He said they had to cut the tobacco demand by increasing awareness about the ill-effects of its use and impose heavy taxes on cigarette manufacturing companies. "Promotion of tobacco is promotion of diseases which is a violation of basic human rights," he added. . . .
He said that a multi-sectoral, integrated and coordinated approach should be adopted to save the young generation from the onslaught of tobacco industry's advertisement campaign.
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