ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s National Health Services’ Sub Committee Regulations and Co-ordination was informed on Monday that there was no law existed to prevent use of e-cigarette and e-shisha in the country.
The committee – chaired by Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak – was briefed on the ‘prohibition of smoking and protection of non-smokers health (amendment) bill, 2016’.
The committee was briefed for implementation twice in a year on Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) laws in the country. A representative of the ministry said that 86% children under six-year age had sufficient knowledge that what was the smoking and from where cigarettes were purchased.
The chairman said that smoking was injurious to health but since a large number of people were associated with cigarette production industry, the committee needed to work on the bill prohibiting smoking and protecting non-smokers’ health.
He observed that the laws related to smoking already existed in the country but lacked the measures to ensure their implementation. A representative of cigarette manufacturers also agreed to this.
He expressed astonishment that a packet of cigarettes was being sold at the price of Rs 30 in the open market despite the fact that there was Rs 40 tax on each packet – questioning that from where the cigarettes came.
The Ministry’s secretary said that it was the responsibility of the provinces to ensure implementation of laws related to smoking. He further said that 59% deaths and diseases were due to smoking and added that – principally – they have no objection on the bill.
