Pakistan must move towards a smokefree future

Dear editor,

The developed countries are moving towards smokefree futures, that is, no more smoke of cigarettes. That is something remarkable. In the 20th century, this was almost unthinkable because we associated glamour with the acting of smoking. But no more. However, sadly when I look at my country, smoking is very much part of the daily lives, despite the fact that the government is telling us that smoking prevalence has come down over the last one decade. More than 22 million people in Pakistan still use tobacco in some form, with no credible information how many of them successfully quit. It is high time that Pakistan should take the first step towards ending combustible smoking. This can be done provided we are ready to take tough policy and administrative decisions and implement them strictly.