COMSATS Hosts Forum on Tobacco-Free Campuses
PROVINCE REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Vice Chancellors, Rectors and heads of higher education institutions have signed a landmark Charter for Tobacco and Nicotine-Free Campuses, pledging joint efforts to protect Pakistani youth from tobacco and nicotine addiction.
The charter was adopted during the Fifth Monthly Meeting of the Vice Chancellors and Rectors Forum, hosted by COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI). It aims to establish completely tobacco, smoke, vape and recreational nicotine-free campuses across participating universities.
The participating institutions pledged to promote student-led awareness campaigns, research, monitoring and annual assessments to support implementation. The forum also agreed to forward the signed charter to the Prime Minister through the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, seeking national-level policy intervention.
Welcoming the participants, CUI Rector Prof. Dr. Raheel Qamar highlighted the responsibilities of university leadership in addressing emerging societal and technological challenges, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
The meeting also discussed academic, regulatory and financial challenges facing higher education institutions and reaffirmed a commitment to institutional cooperation and evidence-based reforms.
