They were speaking at a round table meeting on “Warning on Tobacco Products- Capacity Building within Legislative Framework” organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

They stressed the need for all-encompassing, multi-sectoral and futuristic tobacco control policy which outlines actionable and time-bound measures to tackle the multi-sectoral challenges.

Khalid Hussain Magsi, Chairperson, Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination urged the need for evolving consensus among all stakeholders on alternative crop production, where especially tobacco farmers should be offered and convinced on impressive alternative crop production options.

Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid lamented the lack of implementation of existing laws on tobacco control, where smoking in the hospitals of federal capital cannot be controlled.

She said the speaker National Assembly has recently constituted a special committee on agriculture, where we are trying to develop consensus on alternative crops and resolving the issues that afflicts the tobacco farmers and industry.

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) MNA Romina Khurshid Alam stressed the need for raising awareness among the public at large and putting pressure on the departments concerned to implement the existing laws.

She said we as responsible citizen and society should also raise our voices and fight against this menace, as smoking is increasingly becoming a status symbol in our young generation which is disturbing reality.