A nine-member committee will oversee enforcement of new law. PHOTO: EPA
In a bid to make Islamabad a ‘Tobacco Smoke Free Capital City’, the district administration will ensure that all social events taking place in the town are smoke-free.
The decision was taken at a District Implementation Committee meeting chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner-General Maryam Khan here on Thursday.
From now on, all event organisers will be required to submit an undertaking for ensuring a smoke-free event or they will not be given the mandatory no objection certificate, Khan said.
Project Director and CADD Health Deputy Director General Dr Minhajus Siraj said if anyone was found violating the law at events such as gala, spring festivals, fashion shows, cricket matches will be punished according to the law.
He said that the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance 2002 and WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control bind us to prohibit smoking and protect our citizens from the hazards of tobacco use.
“Billions of rupees are lost every year on people suffering from diseases due to tobacco use,” he said.
“Smokers spend money to buy tobacco and then to get rid of ailments. Their sufferings are multiplied by the fact they get sick in their prime,” he said.
He informed CADD has constituted a nine-member committee to monitor and coordinate the efforts for the effective implementation of the law. CADD Secretary will be the chair. Members include the FBR chairman, the FDE director general and the HEC chairman.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2014.
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@Edward: Kindly enlighten us how district action committe is suppose to address your issues?
Actually Tobacco causes so many disorders and deaths that it outweighs each and every other public health disease by a fair margin. Tobacco actually kills 5.8 million people a year and will kill approx 8 million a year by 2030; this is more than TB, Malaria, AIDS etc Combined!! So yes Tobacco control is very, very important and this step must be appreciated.
While it's true that billions of people die from exposure to first and second hand smoke inhalation and this is a good move. Why doesn't Pakistan do something about the amount of bullets being 'absorbed' by innocent journalists and civilians. Or the amount of pollution on our roads that cause other respiratory illnesses far worse than that caused by tobacco.... Bunch of hypocrites!