Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Members of the Coalition for Tobacco Control Pakistan (CTC) on Friday urged authorities concerned for immediate enforcement of the new 85% graphic health warnings (GHWs) on cigarette packs.

Addressing a press conference, the CTC members said the announcement to increase the size of GHWs from 40% to 85% was made last year, and the government further issued notification to enforce the new enhanced warning on packs on March 30, 2015.

They said the provincial governments of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were taking exemplary steps to strictly enforce tobacco control laws in the provinces and called to enforce it at federal level as well.

Attaur Rahman of Association of Rehabilitation and Development from Rawalpindi said the world was progressing towards introducing more strict policies for controlling the use of tobacco, especially among youth.

Fayyaz Ahmed Ghara of Social Welfare Society from Talagang said Pakistan had done well so far and introduced tobacco control policies that had shown significant reduction in prevalence of tobacco use in the country.

“We appreciate the provincial governments who took strict measures including banning smokeless tobacco use including gutka, sheesha and sale of cigarettes to minors,” Khurram Hashmi, the National Coordinator of CTC-Pakistan said.

He said the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination had taken positive initiative by ordering printing of the enhanced pictorial health warnings from 40% to 85% on the front and back of cigarette packs in January 2015.

This stance by the government had not only set an example within the Asia region, but also Pakistan become one of the few countries in the world which prioritised health of its citizens over corporate interests.