PESHAWAR: The National Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco and Nicotine Control has urged the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to immediately pass the pending smoke-free legislation and strengthen enforcement of existing tobacco control laws to protect public health across the province.
Although the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance provides a national framework prohibiting smoking in public places and protecting non-smokers, implementation remains weak. Violations involving smoking in public spaces, point-of-sale advertising, and the sale of tobacco products to minors continue due to limited oversight and ineffective monitoring. The Alliance emphasized the urgent need to fully enforce tobacco-related SROs and strengthen mechanisms regulating sales and advertising.
Pakistan ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005, committing to comprehensive measures to reduce tobacco use, restrict advertising and sponsorship, and protect citizens from secondhand smoke. However, emerging nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco devices, are widely available without a clear regulatory framework. Their unchecked sale and promotion are contributing to rising nicotine dependence, particularly among youth, women, and girls.
The Alliance called on the federal government to adopt coordinated national measures for comprehensive nicotine control, including regulation of emerging products and stronger inter-provincial collaboration to close enforcement gaps. It also urged the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to allocate a dedicated tobacco control budget in the upcoming fiscal year and introduce a PC-1 to institutionalize sustainable enforcement, monitoring, and awareness programs.
Usman Afridi, Civil Society Activist and Co-Convener of the Alliance, stated, “Delays in strengthening smoke-free legislation and regulating new nicotine products are putting lives at risk. We need strong political commitment, improved oversight, and dedicated funding to ensure full enforcement of tobacco control laws.”
Alvine Javed, youth activist, said, “The easy availability of tobacco and nicotine products is fueling addiction among young people, and the increasing prevalence among women and girls is particularly alarming.”
Ihsan Ali Khosa, Coordinator for Sindh, added, “A nationally coordinated strategy is essential to fulfill Pakistan’s FCTC commitments and protect future generations.
