PESHAWAR-UNS-Pakistan has one of the largest populations of tobacco users in the world, with over 22 million adults ages 18 or older smoking cigarettes, water pipe, or some other tobacco product. Almost one-third (32.4%) of men and 5.7% of women smoke tobacco, and 15.9% of adult Pakistanis are daily smokers.
Despite bans in recent years, millions of adults use some form of smokeless tobacco product, including gutka, naswar and paan.
A resolution is moved in KP Assembly by Asia Saleh Khattk MPA Chairperson of the Standing committee on Public Health Engineering. demanding to declare the provincial Capital “Tobacco Free”. The resolution mentions that Pakistan has over 23 million cigarette and tobacco users and it is estimated that 160,000 death occurs in Pakistan every year because of tobacco use which also includes about 31,000 people who are affected because of passive smoking. The resolution demands the provincial government, health department, and district administration to improve monitoring, and compliance, and declare Peshawar tobacco-free capital.
Member provincial Assembly Asia Saleh Khattk Said “ All people have a fundamental right to breathe clean air. There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS), which causes heart disease,cancer and many other diseases. Even brief exposure can cause serious damage. Only a total ban on smoking in all indoor public places, including workplaces, protects people from the harms of SHS exposure, helps smokers quit, and reduces youth smoking.”
Pakistan became a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005. The WHO FCTC provided momentum for the development and implementation of tobacco control strategies and policies at the national level. Guidelines to Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) help countries know exactly how to protect their people from Second Hand Smoke.
Many countries have adopted legislation to accomplish smoke-free environments. Smoke-free legislation is popular wherever it is enacted, and these laws do not harm business. Any country can implement effective smokefree legislation. However, only a small proportion of the world’s population currently has meaningful protection from SHS.
Qamar Naseem Program Manager Blue Veins said “ Health Department, Tobacco Control Cell, and District Administrations are doing tremendous work for tobacco control. Community-led initiatives based on the Health Promotion approach are effective in establishing 'Tobacco-free' cities. The community empowerment processes linked with such approaches can reduce exposure to passivesmoking, generating “smoke-free cities” as well. Continuous vigilance at the ground level and supportive actions from the national level are needed to sustain the results and enhance long-term outcomes.
