ISLAMABAD: Public health advocates in Pakistan are raising alarms over a proposed amendment that would permit the production and export of 10-stick cigarette packs, warning that it could significantly harm the country’s youth and undermine ongoing smoking control efforts.
Currently, Pakistani law mandates that cigarette packs contain at least 20 sticks, a measure designed to limit tobacco access for minors and reduce smoking rates among young people.
The activists argue that the introduction of smaller 10-stick packs, however, would make cigarettes cheaper and more accessible, particularly to adolescents. These smaller packs could be more easily sold secretly or through informal channels, heightening the risk of youth smoking, they add.
Presenting data, they say an estimated 1,200 young people in Pakistan start smoking every day, while this proposed change could exacerbate the problem by facilitating earlier smoking initiation and weakening existing tobacco control efforts.
Human Development Foundation (HDF) CEO Mehboob Ul Haq emphasizing the gravity of the situation, said: "We must protect our children from tobacco’s harmful effects. Smaller cigarette packs make tobacco more affordable and accessible to underage individuals. With 166,000 tobacco-related deaths annually, banning these packs is crucial to curb tobacco use and prevent diseases and deaths."
The tobacco industry’s intention to export these smaller packs to Sudan, a country already suffering from conflict, raises additional ethical concerns. Introducing 10-stick packs in war-torn areas like Sudan could increase tobacco access to vulnerable children facing instability and limited resources.
Arooj Rajput, the focal person for HDF’s tobacco control campaign, added, "The proposed amendment endangers not only our youth’s health but also ignores our global responsibility to protect children everywhere. Every child, whether in Pakistan or Sudan, deserves protection from the tobacco industry’s harmful practices."
Concerned citizens and public health organizations are urging the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination to reject the proposed amendment and maintain current regulations that protect the youth and uphold ethical standards in tobacco control.