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.CAIRO: Hosni Mubarak, former ousted Egyptian president breathed his last in a hospital after fighting battled with illness. He dies on Tuesday at the age of 91 weeks after undergoing surgery.
Hosni Mubarak’s brother-in-law, General Mounir Thabet said that the family was at the hospital and that the presidential office would organise the funeral. Mubarak had long been battling an illness and recently been admitted to an intensive care unit.
He took power in 1981, following the assassination of former president Anwar al-Sadat, and remained head of state for three decades.
Mubarak was overthrown after three weeks of mass protests that started on January 25, 2011.
His toppling came amid mounting popular anger triggered partly by rampant police brutality and by 2010 parliamentary elections which were widely slammed as rigged.
Mubarak faced multiple charges after his overthrow, including over the deaths of protesters in 2011 and corruption. After years of protracted trials and legal proceedings, he was acquitted on most charges.
Under Mubarak’s 30-year-rule, Egyptians lived under emergency laws that gave sweeping powers to the country’s security agencies.
Hosni Mubarak was born in a rural village in the Nile Delta in 1928.
The former president had survived multiple assassination attempts including one by Islamist militants in 1995 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
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