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.KARACHI: The bullish trends were largely observed in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday as buying rally continues after investor confidence increased following a dip in inflation rate.
During intraday trading, the KSE-100 index has gained 591.28 points to reach 150,562.42 points, marking an increase of 0.39 per cent compared to previous close.
The core inflation measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI) decelerated to 3 percent during August 2025 as compared to 4.1 percent recorded during July 2025, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Monday.
According to PBS data, the CPI based inflation during the same month of last year (August 2024) was recorded at 9.6%.
On month-on-month basis, it decreased by 0.6% in August 2025 as compared to an increase of 2.9% in the previous month and an increase of 0.4% in August 2024.
A day earlier, the KSE-100 Index witnessed bullish trend, gaining 1,353.34 points, a positive change of 0.91 percent, closing at 149,971.12 points.
A total of 1,183,076,656 shares worth Rs48.849 billion were traded during the day.
As many as 480 companies transacted their shares in the stock market, 272 of them recorded gains and 175 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 33 companies remained unchanged.
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