The Directorate General Health Services Hyderabad, under the Health Department Government of Sindh, here on Monday organized a “Tobacco-Free Walk” on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2026 to raise public awareness, particularly among youth, regarding the harmful effects of tobacco use, vaping and nicotine products.
The walk was organized under the special directives and supervision of Director General Health Services Sindh, Dr Waqar Mahmood. The event was attended by Dr. Ghazanfer Ali Sanjrani, Additional Director Monitoring and Evaluation / Focal Person Provincial Tobacco Control Cell Sindh, Dr Saeed Jalbani, Deputy Director General Health and Education, Tanveer QaimKhani, Provincial Coordinator Provincial Tobacco Control Cell Sindh, along with the Health Department officials, youth representatives, civil society members and the participants from various organizations.
On the occasion, Dr Ghazanfer Ali Sanjrani stated that the World Health Organization had been observing World No Tobacco Day every year since 1987 to raise global awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use and related diseases. He highlighted that tobacco consumption remained a major public health challenge in Pakistan, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, while an alarming number of children and adolescents are increasingly being exposed to tobacco and nicotine products.
He further stated that the Provincial Tobacco Control Cell Sindh, in collaboration with the National Tobacco Control Cell and the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, is actively implementing the National Tobacco Control Strategy 2022-2030. Under this framework, various awareness activities such as art exhibitions, seminars, cycling rallies, youth dialogues, and awareness walks are regularly conducted to promote a tobacco-free society.