ISLAMABAD: The tobacco manufacturers are lobbying to stop the implementation of the government decision to have pictorial warning on 85 per cent of cigarette packets.

At a meeting held on Thursday evening, the tobacco growers, manufacturers and other stakeholders spent hours to convince Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Saira Afzal Tarar that the decision on the pictorial warning was not in the best interest of the country.

It may be mentioned that on February 11, the health ministry announced that the size of the pictorial warning on the packets of cigarettes would be increased from 40 per cent to 85 per cent of the packets. It was also announced that the tobacco industry would be instructed to introduce new packing from May 31. Moreover, the same conditions would be applied on imported cigarettes. The decision was unexpected for the tobacco industry, however.

Just after the decision, not only delegations of tobacco industry started visiting the ministry but also tobacco growers and sellers wrote letters to the ministry stating that the decision would affect the economy of the country and destroy their business. Letters were also written to the chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and political figures.

Even a diplomat was involved to stop the implementation of the government’s decision.

An official of the health ministry requesting not to be identified said during the meeting the tobacco growers said their business would ruin if the decision was implemented.

“Tobacco sellers also said the illicit trade of cigarettes would increase and the national economy would suffer so it was in the best interest of the country not to implement the decision,” he said.

The fact is that cigarette manufacturers have been trying to reverse the decision by using all possible ways, he said.

“It has scientifically been established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that warning on the cigarette packs reduces the number of youth from starting smoking and helps smokers quit smoking,” he said.

The executive coordinator of Network for Consumer Protection, Nadeem Iqbal, told Dawn that what the cigarette industry was doing in Pakistan was not unique.

“The cigarette industry used similar tactics all over the world whenever a decision was made to reduce the use of cigarettes,” he said.

“Pakistan is a signatory to the WHO convention on tobacco control 2004. The federal government is under an obligation to regulate the tobacco industry. Furthermore, the subject of tobacco regulations, including health warnings on cigarette packs, relate to the implementation of the treaty,” he said.

“Unfortunately, our rulers have become habitual of looking only at the revenue which comes from the tobacco industry,” he said.

Mr Iqbal said even estimates regarding revenue/tax collected by the tobacco industry was provided by the industry and there was no official data on it.

When contacted, Secretary Health Ayub Sheikh said at the meeting the tobacco growers and other stakeholders expressed their grievances and issues related to the decision on the pictorial warning.

“They believed that the consumption of tobacco will not reduce but illicit trade of cigarettes will increase. We listened to all what they said and another meeting will be held before taking a decision on the matter,” he said.

Published in Dawn May 16th , 2015

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