ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar on Friday called upon the government to formulate strict laws to prevent the young generation from becoming addicted to the drugs and smoking in the country.
They were speaking at a seminar, organized by Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) which was addressed by MNA Samina Matloob, Senator Abdul Qadir, Senator Abdul Shafiq, senior leader of Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Abid Sher Ali and representatives from Ministry of Health.
In his presentation, Secretary General, PANAH Sanaullah Ghumman said that PANAH has been running a campaign for the last 40 years to make people aware of the harms of smoking and is trying to make such laws so that smoking can be reduced in the country and the number of young people who are rapidly becoming addicted can be reduced.
He said that the tobacco industry uses it for its own purposes by misleading the policy makers through wrong information. “There is a ban on tobacco advertising in Pakistan, but the tobacco industry is promoting its products under various pretexts. Sometimes through better Pakistan, sometimes through sponsoring trees,” he said.
By different tactics of industry to attract innocent children to tobacco, every day 1200 new children start smoking, he added. Due to this, not only the future of Pakistan is going to ruin, but the government's budget of billions of rupees is also being wasted on the diseases caused by tobacco. We request you to understand the seriousness of this problem and help us to make policies against it and implement the laws that have been made,” he added.
Senator Abdul Qadir said that we will go to any extent to protect our young generation from destruction.
Senator Abdul Shafiq said that we are ready to face any force to save the future of Pakistan.
MNA Dr. Samina Matloob said that we have to save our people from this deadly disease and expose every conspiracy for it.
Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali said that we will stand by his cause with PANAH even though it is our job that PANAH is doing.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022