May 31st, is internationally celebrated as “World No Tobacco Day”. Tobacco is bad, bad and bad, and those who use it should strive towards quitting it at the earliest and I preach after having practiced.

Useful Resources:

Australian Government website to assist in quitting.

Media Resource Kit on Tobacco” issued by Pakistan’s “Tobacco Control Cell” is a good resource for information about hazards and control steps.

I will leave  the hazards and science to the links provided. Here, I will share some tit-bits from Pakistan’s societal perspective and history – of course with the pinch of the proverbial political salt (election hype has still not worn off).

Many in Pakistan are victims of tobacco addiction in some form - beedi, hukka, pan and naswaar are the traditional modes of consumption whereas cigarettes are the popular choice. Cigars unfortunately still represent status, and sheesha is the more “hip” thing – gutka and mainpuri are cheap concoctions mostly targeting lower classes in urban areas. As Shakespeare puts it “What’s in a name? A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet” – on the other hand, poison packaged as elixir can only be more lethal. Today it is scientifically established that tobacco is injurious to health and causes a myriad of serious problems. However, over half a century ago, tobacco was hailed as a relaxant, fashion statement and symbol of machismo. Statesmen like Winston Churchill made sure to be seen with their favorite nicotine bars even when they were not actually smoking.

—Via Wikimedia Commons

—Allama Iqbal with his famous hukkah via Iqbal Academy Pakistan

Founders of our nation were not immune to the unfounded image of tobacco either. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal and Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, were smokers – between the three of them, modes of use ranged from cigar, cigarettes, hukka and through tobacco pipes. I would not be surprised if there were a few tobacco laced pans somewhere in between. Pictures depicting the Quaid stylishly smoking do not mention that the great man, albeit at the advanced age of almost 72, ultimately died from tuberculosis.

—The Quaid and Liaquat Ali Khan in a discussion (Cigarettes in Liaquat’s left hand).

These were not the only sub-continental leaders fond of tobacco. Jawahirlal Nehru was an ardent smoker and lit a few cigarettes in his time.

In the United States, former president Ronald Regan was a dashing actor in his heyday and appeared on cigarette advertisements. Incidentally, later in life, he received a puncture in his lung – not on account of tobacco related problems but from a bullet wound. He was the last US president to be shot at, with something other than a shoe. Bullet wounds are easier to cure and he survived - tobacco use might not have provided him this escape.

In the late 19th century, Sherlock Holmes, the greatest detective character of all time, solved many a perplexing cases while smoking a pipe in line with Victorian norms and fashion. Interestingly his friend, Watson was a doctor and also smoked. The case gets more complicated! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, their creator, was a physician – and of course smoked! With such inspirations, Faridi and Hameed, characters from Ibn-e-Safi’s detective thrillers, smoked a cigar and pipe respectively.

—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

—Sidney Piaget via Wikimedia Commons

Doyle created Holmes not only as a smoker but also as a cocaine and morphine user – all legal substances in late 19th century England. To Doyle’s credit, Holmes’ use of narcotic substances other than tobacco was disapproved by Watson who hoped to rid his friend of this “vice”. Though science and society are now clear on the other two, they might need more time before we truly realise the hazards of tobacco and treat it with the collective contempt it deserves.

Doyle and Watson were not the only medical professionals ignorant of tobacco’s ill effects. Till the 1950’s, cigarette manufacturers in the US, used doctors’ endorsements to market their products!

Today, governments are trying to curtail its use in various forms through a combination of approaches ranging from imposition of duties and taxes, awareness campaigns and marketing and usage restrictions.

Present-day Pakistani politicians, generally shun tobacco, at least in public. That might be the general view but not the General’s view - former president Pervez Musharraf, currently in Chak-Shehzad is reputed to be a cigar aficionado. Some of his political critics are of the view that the threat to his life from smoking might be greater than that from militants and hence his supply of Cohiba should be cut-off! Imran Khan the Chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf also founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital – the ace institution in Pakistan providing healthcare to cancer patients, many of whom are tobacco victims. The most common cancer in Pakistan is lung cancer followed by oral cancers – tobacco consumption can cause both. While Mutaihida Qaumi Movement and PTI might be at loggerheads in the political arena, thankfully they can be seen as allies in the fight against tobacco hazards. Just before the 2013 elections, MQM chief Altaf Hussain announced that habitual paan and gutka consumers will not be handed party tickets.

In Karachi slang, a chain smoker is sometimes called an “engine” as the puffs of exhaled smoke resemble exhaust fumes of a steam locomotive. Interestingly, Shaikh Rashid, once the railway minister of the country is one of the politicians who is often seen smoking a cigar. Speaking of political entities and tobacco use, one can only request the Election Commission of Pakistan to reconsider allotting the Hukkah as an election symbol. Although part of our culture, the Hukkah, a relative of the Middle Eastern Sheesha is a health-hazard. I am sure any political party or individual to whom the symbol is awarded would consider healthier choices in public interest. Thankfully, the ECP does not issue cigarettes. I wonder if the ECP would include “Tambaku noshi muzir-e-sehat hai” with the symbol! If so, I hope the candidate does not expect the “wazarat-e-sehat” as a foregone conclusion!

http://ecp.gov.pk/misc/AllottedtoPoliticalParties.aspx

Iqbal had understood later in life that tobacco was harmful and youth needed to be kept away from it. His nephew Ejaz Ahmed mentions in his book “Mazloom Iqbal” that the philosopher probably inherited the habit from his ancestors but explained its ill-effects to Ejaz who then never used tobacco in his life. Smart people learn from mistakes. However, for some by the time they learn, it is too late. Let us strive towards raising awareness about the hazards of tobacco so that people reject it voluntarily and governments are forced to impose restrictions and bans.

“A cigarette is the only consumer product which when used as directed kills its consumer.” —Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland- Director-General, World Health Organization (1998-2003)

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The writer works for a bank and is interested in the outdoors, wildlife and science. Currently he is seeking transfer to a branch either in the Australian outback or the Himalayas! He can be reached at vagabonds.odyssey@gmail.com

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