Despite ban on sale of cigarette to boys below the age of 18 years and lack of strict regulatory measures, the trend of smoking among teenagers is on rise to an alarming proportion, exposing them to fatal respiratory and heart ailments. A survey conducted by Business Recorder revealed that the trend of smoking among teenage boys and girls was increasing due to the widespread availability of cigarettes in even educational institutions as well as the shops around them.
It was observed that boys between the ages of 10 to 20 smoked cigarette in-groups. Those who did not smoke could also be counted as smokers because of passive or second-hand smoking, experts of chest diseases said.
It is a bitter reality that despite ban on smoking in public places and educational institutions, both the administration and the NGOs have failed to address this growing menace.
In educational institutions such as universities, colleges and to some extent, schools, access to cigarettes is very easy and smokers can get it without any fear or resistance from teachers and other sources, the survey revealed.
Nevertheless, the ban imposed by the government on smoking has become a joke, as the vice is continuing unabated on places such as railway stations, bus terminals, public transport, government offices and other public places.
It has also been revealed that in different government offices both officers and officials were making open violation of this ban by smoking cigarettes without any check even from their high-ups.
The federal government had circulated the 'Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smoking Health Ordinance' banning smoking at public places to heads of different ministries/departments/organisations/corporations for implementation, but the violation of ban is continuing. The public places, including parks, bus stops, cinema houses, and the offices are still being used by the smokers for smoking without any check from any agency.
Moreover, Pakistan Society of Family Physicians (PSFP) Secretary General Dr Sheharyar Bhatti told Business Recorder here on Thursday that over 22 million people in Pakistan used tobacco in one form or the other, and thousands of people die of various diseases related to smoking every year.
"It is horrifying to note that smoking is killing one in 10 adults daily and the figure would reach over 10 million deaths per annum by the year 2030 world-wide", he pointed out.
According to him, after alcohol, tobacco is rated as the second largest cause of death world-wide, adding that the need is to check the menace of smoking by imposing ban on manufacturing of cigarettes. He also said that smoking is the leading cause of heart diseases, which is increasing at an alarming ratio in the country.