Daily Times

PESHAWAR: 50-year-old Hikmat Shah hailing from Charsadda district was lying on the Bed at the Irnum Hospital Peshawar and looking around as his eyes color became red just of the pain that he feels and tears were rolling on his cheeks.

“I was using snuff and tobacco which, affected my mouth and teeth as I am lying on the bed of hospital and could not manage the treatment”, Hikmat Shah said.

Hikmat Shah is among those 45% people who were affected because of smoking and using snuff in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and FATA and were infected of mouth and throat cancer.

According to the data of Irnum hospital 70% people were suffering from mouth and throat cancer because of smoking and using snuff, while a report of World Health Organization (WHO) stated that 60% people were die every year in the world because of smoking and use of snuff and other drugs. In Pakistan, the report said, an estimated 40% male and 9% female are smokers and the number is increasing day by day.

Muslim Khan, a 60-year old, having white hairs and beard running a grocery shop in Bacha Khan Chowk said that he is using snuff from the age of fifteen years but now he is 60 and want to leave this bad habit but now the drug did not leave him “I was using this bad thing from last 45 years, my teeth affected badly. Now I want to leave this bad habit but now it did not leave me”, he added.

A man who holds the shoppers of snuff in his hand at Bacha Khan Chowk, selling the snuff loudly saying “Charsadda Wall Tazza Naswar” (Charsadda special made fresh snuff) as every after third person was buying the snuff from him and went on his way.

According to the StimEnable development organization in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa every day 3 billion rupees of snuff was being sold while its use is increasing with every passing day, among teenage boys and girls. Haibat Khan who is engaged with the business of snuff from the last forty years said; “the snuff is made from tobacco (Tambako), Sharesh, ash and other things. The business of snuff is very good and highly profitable business but now things have changed as we pay 6000-8000 rent.

As a large number of people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA were attached to this business but the doctors said the main reason of mouth cancer in these areas is use of snuff in large number.

According to the senior Oncologist Dr Safora Shahid the main cause of mouth and throat cancer among people is the smoking and use of snuff. In KP and FATA mouth cancer is common because a large number of people were using snuff in these areas.

Dr Safoora also added that not only snuff were used by men but in tribal belt especially in Kohat, Khyber Agency, FR Bannu and Swat women were also using snuff.

“Snuff and smoking is like poison for the human body and interestingly when I talked with the women that use of snuff is not good for the human body and requested them to stop their husband from the using of snuff, they replied that men are known for using drug and the man without any using of drug is not a man “Sare hum begahr da nashe na sa sare we”, (a man without drug is not known to be a man), “, Dr Safoora said.