Progress report: Islamabad yet to become smoke-free

Despite SC’s orders, laws have not been completely implemented in Islamabad .


Sehrish Wasif April 10, 2015
Despite SC’s orders, laws have not been completely implemented in Islamabad .

ISLAMABAD:


Even after Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the weak implementation of anti-tobacco laws and the availability of ample funding, the capital is still far from getting smoke-free status.


Almost three years after Pakistan promulgated the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance, which was to make Islamabad a model tobacco-free city by the end of 2014, the capital is still struggling to enforce restrictions on smoking.

“Even SC’s orders for the effective implementation of anti-tobacco laws are being ignored,” said a senior National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination official on condition of anonymity.

The official claimed that it was taking too long to implement the law in Islamabad, which is a worrying sign for how long it would take for the law to be implemented in other cities.

So far, 600 cases have been registered against people in the capital for anti-tobacco law violation, he added.

Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Health Deputy Director General Dr Minhajus Siraj told The Express Tribune that efforts to get a smoke-free status have been slow-paced. He said Pakistan has also received an 18-year grant from Bloomberg Initiative for the effective implementation of the anti-tobacco laws in the country, he said.

“We even face challenges implementing the law in public hospitals as many officials in the administration departments smoke inside their offices,” he said.

In fact, almost all of the 30 locations in the capital declared smoke-free majority are restaurants, he said.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has declared 10 public parks smoke-free, while work on the rest is in progress, he said.

Nadia Saqib, an Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration official looking after the implementation of anti-tobacco laws, said she has asked assistant commissioners in the capital to collect data on the number of vendors selling tobacco products without proper licenses.

She said the ICT Administration will soon carry out raids at public places that are violating anti-laws.

A crackdown against vendors selling tobacco products to people under the age of 18 or those located within 50 yards of a school would also be initiated, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2015. 

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