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.ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a discussion urged Pakistan to understand the nature of relationship of Taliban-led administration in Kabul with all Afghanistan-based militant groups before talking to it on the issue of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The study conducted by Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) provides an updated assessment of militant and security landscapes of Pakistan’s different regions, considering the influences of both domestic factors and the situation in Afghanistan.
Academics, former diplomats, journalists, policy analysts and representatives of civil society expressed these views at the launching ceremony of the research report ‘Pakistan’s Evolving Militant Landscape: State Responses and Policy Options.’
The speakers in the study were of the view that Pakistan’s better know-how of emerging trends in Afghanistan and the militant landscape of the neighboring country can help the former in resolving its own problem of terrorism effectively.
Former foreign secretary Inam-ul-Haque speaking on the occasion as a chief guest said Pakistan should learn to treat Afghanistan as an independent country. “Perhaps, resentment within Afghan ranks increased because they thought that Pakistanis were trying to dictate to them how they should behave,” he said.
Inam underlined that a certain view was wrong that Pakistan should have hegemony over Afghanistan. Pakistan helped the Taliban for its own interests because “we had been trying to protect ourselves, our objectives and our own society, not necessarily the Taliban,” he added.
Senior journalist Ziaur Rehman viewed that Pakistan as a state had poor understanding of emerging trends in Afghanistan and its militant landscape – a situation that is playing a major role in the former’s ongoing conflict. “We will have to understand the priorities of Taliban leadership before engaging them to get our terrorism problem resolved,” he said.
Zia said Islamabad would have to understand the nature of ties of the Taliban regime with all Afghanistan-based militant groups including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the TTP. He said Taliban viewed that these strong groups could join its rival Daesh if they took action against them on the desire of Pakistan and China, creating a new turmoil for the state of Afghanistan.
Chairperson of the Defence and Strategic Studies Department at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Dr. Shabana Fayyaz questioned why Pakistan couldn’t have an “innovative, complex and sustainable” strategy on counterterrorism (CT) when it had a multifaceted militant landscape. She said that female radicalization was a big problem of Pakistan and talked about female seminaries operating in the country urging the need to engage them for deradicalization.
QAU’s Associate Professor Dr. Salma Malik said it was a major trend that Pakistan assessed its threat perception or primary threat of militancy through the lens of Afghanistan and the Taliban. “Is there any effort by the western border or India to impact our eastern militancy landscape?” she questioned. She urged the government to ensure rule of law and governance to become a “credible actor in the eyes of the Taliban.”
Expert on Afghan affairs Tahir Khan said that no one knew who was calling the shots in Pakistan as far as Afghan policy was concerned. “Secondly, we don’t care for the sensitivities of the neighboring country,” he said and talked about Pakistan’s “abrupt” decision to repatriate illegal Afghan refugees.
International Research Council for Religious Affairs (IRCRA) President Muhammad Israr Madani said Pakistan neither had capacity to handle TTP militants nor any deradicalization programme to bring them into the mainstream. “Negotiations with the (banned) TTP is the only way forward,” he said, adding that engaging local communities on both sides of the border for CT operations and negotiations would be very helpful for the government.
Pakistan Council on China Director Dr. Fazalur Rahman stressed the need for “a comprehensive, an interconnected and wholesome approach” to tackle the problem of extremism and terrorism in Pakistan. He said that the biggest flaw in the country’s CT strategy was prevailing mistrust among different law enforcement and intelligence agencies as they didn’t share data with one another.
At the outset, Research Analyst Safdar Sial unveiled the key findings of the study. Director PIPS Muhammad Amir Rana in his welcome remarks said that the institute had been working on the report and the whole initiative – including quarterly consultations, media monitoring and field research – for the last three years.
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