It is the job of the government to crack down upon this evil business
BADIN: Poisonous substances such as gutka and other paan condiments are commonly sold in the streets of Badin, just like in the rest of Pakistan. Despite a ban by authorities, sellers are not deterred from distributing these dangerous items to the public.
It has also been observed that in Badin, most people who consume these items, such as gutka, manpuri, zafri, etc. are school and college-going children, who are in their teenage years or are in their twenties. They should strictly be eating healthy food only. These children are lured into consuming these harmful ‘food’ items by shopkeepers and other locals, which ends up jeopardising their health and future. There is also a worrying assumption that it is only boys who consume these items. By believing in this assumption, we are understating the scale of the problem because many women, including housewives and girl students, are known to consume gutka. It is the job of the government to crack down upon this evil business.
Shahid Ahmed Qureshi
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2015.
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