WHO, anti-tobacco NGOs failed to address real issues of smoking in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Despite years of donor funding, high-level conferences in luxury hotels, international tours and promises of tobacco control, the World Health Organization (WHO), international NGOs (INGOs), and local anti-tobacco organizations have failed to address the real cause of increased smoking incidence in Pakistan and are silent against blatant violations of Pakistan’s tobacco control laws.

Public health advocates are calling out this silence as unacceptable and dangerous.

Cigarettes are being sold to minors, single sticks are sold openly, cheaper cigarettes in the range of rupees 100 to 150 are available for youth, illegal brands without health warnings are flooding markets—and yet, the organizations mandated to fight tobacco are silent on these ground realities”.

According to laws, the Government of Pakistan has set a minimum retail price of Rs. 162.25 per cigarette pack, but the market is flooded with cheaper brands, and local brands are being sold openly to youth for as low as Rs. 100–150.

Pakistani markets are saturated with smuggled cigarette brands that carry no pictorial health warnings, a clear violation of both Pakistani law and Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) obligations.

Despite existing laws, the sale of cigarettes to minors and the sale of single sticks continues unchecked in all cities and rural areas.

Laws exist prohibiting Tobacco advertising and promotions, but in reality, companies are openly promoting cigarette brands through posters, banners, prize schemes, etc.

“Why hasn’t WHO issued a single strong statement demanding enforcement of these laws? Why are INGOs and their local partners avoiding this uncomfortable truth?”

“If they are truly serious about reducing smoking prevalence in Pakistan, silence in the face of regulatory collapse is not an option.”

Civil society is urging WHO, INGOs, and local tobacco control organizations to publicly call for the enforcement of minimum price laws and crackdowns on underpriced local brands.

These anti-tobacco advocates should demand immediate action against the sale of smuggled, non-compliant cigarette products. They should pressure the government, which is accountable for failing to implement and enforce tobacco control laws.

Tobacco control is not about press conferences and report launches in luxury hotels, it’s about working with a practical approach and protecting public health.