Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) has lamented that health hazards are increasing due to growing habits of smoking. It is unethical that non-smokers are also confronting the health hazards due to passive smoking, which can be largely attributed to ineffective government policy, which does not discourage tobacco use. CRCP expressed this concern on the World No-Tobacco Day, which is observed on May 31 every year round the globe. It urged the government to take stringent measure in order to place a check on the increasing tobacco culture in Pakistan.

While highlighting the growing tobacco culture, CRCP general secretary, Mian Abrar said that the figures of smoking habits in Pakistan were alarming. He said, presently, there were about 28 million smokers in Pakistan. Around 35 percent of male and 5 percent of female population is addicted to smoking, which means 40 percent of our population is vulnerable to health risks arising out of tobacco use.

Reflecting on the health repercussions of tobacco use, he said it was very unfortunate that million of rupees were being spent over tobacco use and cure of diseases caused due to smoking. Experts have estimated that about 90 percent of lung cancer and 80 percent of deaths are due to tobacco use, Mian Abrar lamented. In addition, smoking was a cause of pneumonia, heart disorder, bronchitis, depression, respiratory problems, behavioral change, and language impairment, he added. "Smoking at public places has adverse repercussions on the non-smokers. Passive smoking affects 700 million children all over the world," he stated.

Deliberating on the reasons of increasing tobacco use, he said that government did not seem serious in curtailing the current rate of tobacco consumption. The government has failed in facilitating the check over waste of millions of rupees, which were being engulfed by multinational tobacco companies. This was largely due to absence of anti-tobacco legislation, he said. "The rate of tax on cigarettes is very low, which has made possible for youth to buy cigarettes with pocket money. High tax on tobacco products can be very productive in order to prevent the new generation from having smoking habits," Mian Abrar suggested.

CRCP general secretary also expressed concerns about lack of public awareness about health hazards of smoking. He pointed out that misleading advertisements in print and electronic media are at large, responsible for encouragement of tobacco culture. Such advertisements portray smokers as very powerful person, which encourage youth to take up smoking habits. He demanded that such advertisements should be banned in print and electronic media. CRCP urged the government, civil society and media to raise awareness about negative bearing of smoking on public health. It demanded the government to adopt a policy, which discourages tobacco use by people.