KARACHI: The Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) has called upon the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to promote breast milk substitutes in any promotional campaign as these products were a major risk factor for diarrhoea and pneumonia in Pakistan.

In a letter to the cricket board, the association stated that baby milk products should not be promoted in the campaign for the forthcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 or any other event.

“Pakistan has one of the highest mortality rates for children under the age five years in the world and the major killers of our children are pneumonia and diarrhoea. The promotion of breastfeeding substitutes is prohibited by the World Health Assembly and Pakistan’s constitution,” said the letter from association’s president Prof S. Jamal Raza and secretary general Dr M. Khalid Shafi.

It also referred to the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Bill 2023 which prohibits promotion of nutrition substitutes for children under the age of 36 months and cross-promotion of these products.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023