Sir: I am writing this letter to draw attention towards a serious issue that has endangered the livelihood and welfare of millions of under-privileged people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country.
A controversial bill has been tabled in the Senate that suggests imposing a ban on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities being carried out by tobacco companies in far-flung and backward areas.
To quote a personal instance here, one of my close family relatives living in a tobacco farming community, who became a widow sometime back and found it hard to feed her four small children and also run other affairs of the family. She was asked to join a programme organised by a local NGO to empower women like her who got no support from anywhere else. She learnt how to run her poultry farm and also how to manage her business and finances. Today, she is the proud owner of two farms. Her elder son is supporting her in running one of the farms, and her other two children are going to local schools. Programmes like the ones executed by local NGOs and supported by tobacco companies should not be subject to such strict regulation since they are working to improve the livelihoods of individuals working in these areas.
I appeal to the Senate to refrain from banning such activities that thousands of people, like my relative, are benefiting from to earn a living.
RAHIM ULLAH ORAKZAI
Peshawar