Islamabad: Rising tobacco and nicotine use among Pakistan’s youth, especially around educational institutions, emerged as the central concern at a national review session on tobacco control held by the Aurat Foundation in Islamabad.
Participants from Parliament, government departments, health organizations, and civil society warned that easy availability of cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches, and flavored tobacco near schools is creating a growing public health threat. The discussion also pointed to a noticeable increase in tobacco use among women, indicating a shifting trend.
The session called for stronger legislation, faster policy action, and strict enforcement to counter the rapid spread of emerging nicotine products. Speakers emphasized that existing laws remain poorly implemented due to procedural delays, weak monitoring, and limited coordination between federal and provincial bodies.
The need for clear parental awareness, community engagement, and better recognition of new nicotine products was highlighted as an essential part of early prevention. Officials noted that families and schools often remain unaware of modern products marketed to young people.
Technical briefings identified major enforcement gaps and policy loopholes that allow the tobacco industry to expand its reach. Participants noted that companies are increasingly using social media trends, entertainment content, and youth-focused marketing to promote vaping in urban areas.
Government representatives reaffirmed ongoing federal efforts to implement the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002 and to tighten regulations where required. Provincial representatives also announced plans to introduce new resolutions to strengthen tobacco control.
Education sector officials raised alarms over the rise of nicotine products around private institutions and called for tougher regulatory checks. Regulatory authorities stressed the need for a broader social movement to counter tobacco use nationwide.
Closing the event, the Aurat Foundation reiterated its commitment to evidence-based advocacy, cross-sector collaboration, and long-term public awareness initiatives aimed at building a healthier, tobacco-free society.QUETTA: Government have arrested 11 suspects for their involvement in the recent “honor killing” of a couple in Balochistan, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Monday after a disturbing video of the incident went viral online last week.
The provincial government sprang into action on Sunday after a video clip, which shows a couple in Balochistan being shot at by armed men for marrying of their choice, sparked nationwide outrage and calls for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Bugti had taken to social media on Sunday to announce that one person had been arrested in connection with the incident.
Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind had said the incident captured in the viral video had taken place in Balochistan around Eid Al-Adha.
“Update: So far, 11 suspects have been arrested and the operation is ongoing,” the Balochistan chief minister wrote on X.
“All those involved will be brought to justice. The state stands with the oppressed.”
So-called honor killings are common in Pakistan, where family members and relatives sometimes kill women and men who don’t follow local traditions and culture or decide to marry of their own choice.
Rind said that it was learnt that families of both victims had not reported the incident, while the government would register a case over the incident with the state as a complainant.
The couple had been executed on the orders of a jirga, a council of tribal elders, according to reports. Rind said authorities had taken the suspects’ data after their identification through the viral video clip.
The incident also prompted condemnation from the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), a group of clerics and religious scholars, who said the killing of a woman or a man in the name of honor is “un-Islamic, anti-Sharia and terrorism.”
The PUC said “terrorism” cases should be filed against people involved in such incidents.
“Pakistan Ulema Council demands of Chief Minister Balochistan, Governor Balochistan and IGP Balochistan to arrest the culprits who killed a woman under ‘honor killing’ as depicted in a viral video on social media,” the council said in a statement on Sunday.
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