“To eliminate smoking, every individual in society, including parents, must play their part.” — Afshan Asghar / Anwar Ali Mahar

Sukkur (—): The heads of the NARI Foundation Sukkur, Afshan Asghar and Anwar Mahar, have called for the establishment of medical centers to assist smokers in quitting, along with providing them with services and facilities. They also urged parents to fulfill their responsibilities in this effort to achieve a smoke-free Pakistan.

They expressed these views at meetings held in various areas of Sukkur district in collaboration with the Alternative Research Initiative (ARI), as part of the campaign to eliminate tobacco use.

NARI Foundation’s program manager Shazia Abbasi and young educationist Haider Ali Mahar stated that smoking is not merely a health issue but one that affects our society, economy, and future generations. They highlighted that over 31 million people in Pakistan use tobacco in various forms. To help them quit, medical centers should be set up, and every member of society, especially parents, must take responsibility.

Social worker Abdul Wahid and educationist Haider Ali noted that although laws have been enacted to curb smoking, there is a lack of implementation. However, despite this, they believe that complete elimination of smoking from Pakistan is possible.

They emphasized that if the government provides smokers with medical support and raises awareness about less harmful alternative products, smoking can be controlled. Haider Ali further added that diseases and deaths caused by tobacco cost Pakistan 615 billion rupees annually. He stressed the need to learn from successful international examples like Sweden to control the harms of smoking and achieve a tobacco-free Pakistan.

He also said that the government should formulate rules and regulations for the use of less harmful alternatives so that smokers can be helped in quitting, and non-smokers, especially children, can be kept away from such products.

The head of the NARI Foundation Sukkur emphasized that the government must ensure enforcement of relevant laws to eliminate the availability and accessibility of cigarettes in society. He added that parents must play their role in protecting their children from smoking.