The government needs support from all sectors of society, including religious scholars, to educate the public about the serious health hazards associated with tobacco use, said Shaheen Masood, Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of Health.
An Aga Khan University press release issued here on Thursday said the senior government official addressing an audience of doctors and scholars, at a seminar held at the university, stressed the important role of religion in our society, and asked religious scholars to use their influence to spread awareness about the dangers of tobacco use.
The seminar was organised by the university in collaboration with the Ministry, as part of a series of measures the government is taking to curtail tobacco use in Pakistan.
Other speakers including senior ENT surgeon, pulmonologists and others mentioned that tobacco use in the form of gutka and pan masala was also one of the major causes of oral cancers.
Dr Shehzad Ghaffar, Head and Neck Surgeon, AKU, said, "Gutka and pan masala are commonly consumed in Pakistan, resulting in a rise in cancers of the head, neck and mouth. Pakistan currently tops the list in the incidence of oral cancer." Engineer Naveed Ahmed, a religious scholar from the Quran Academy in Karachi, said that good health is a blessing of God, and people should take measures not to destroy it by using addictive like tobacco.
"The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said, Whosoever drinks poison, thereby killing himself, will sip this poison forever in the hell-fire and since cigarettes contain poisonous substances hence smoking such poison is equivalent to committing suicide," said the scholar.
The scholar referred to scientific research, which has clearly shown that each cigarette takes away 11 minutes from one's life. Dr Muhammad Irfan, Consultant Pulmonologist, AKU, said that many smokers are afraid of quitting because they think it is painful.
Dr Javaid Khan, Head of Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, AKU and a vocal anti-smoking activist, said, "Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in Pakistani males and over 90 percent of such cases are caused directly by the use of tobacco."
According to a report by World Health Organisation (WHO), tobacco is one of the most powerful addictive substances available in the world and tobacco users can die on average 15 to 20 years prematurely. According to the report, 5.4 million people died last year because of tobacco. This death toll is expected to rise to 10 million per year by the year 2025, unless preventive measures are taken.-PR