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.WASHINGTON: At Least the US Congress formally certified Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory during a session presided over by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the November contest.
The quadrennial ritual, clearing the way for Trump’s inauguration in two weeks, went like clockwork and stood in sharp contrast to four years ago when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to block the certification of then-President Trump’s 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.
Trump continues to falsely claim that his 2020 defeat was the result of widespread fraud, and had warned throughout his 2024 campaign that he harbored similar concerns until his Nov. 5 defeat of Harris.
Harris oversaw the roll call of the states in the vice president’s ceremonial role as president of the Senate. Known for her broad smiles and upbeat demeanor in public appearances, she stood stoic with hands clasped on the dais as she handed off certificates of each state’s electoral votes for Trump and herself.
“Today was obviously a very important day, and it was about what should be the norm and what the American people should be able to take for granted, which is that one of the most important pillars of our democracy is that there will be a peaceful transfer of power,” Harris told reporters at the Capitol. “I do believe very strongly that American democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.”
Four years ago, then-Vice President Mike Pence had to preside over Biden’s victory. In 2001, then-Vice President Al Gore had the same dubious distinction following a bitter battle between him and George W. Bush that ended so close that the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately had to put a stop to the legal challenges, leading to Bush being declared the winner.
Sitting in the House chamber was Senator JD Vance, whose vice presidential victory was also certified by Harris. Vance stood and waved to the members in the chamber when his electoral vote total was announced.
“Congress certifies our great election victory today – a big moment in history. MAGA!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social earlier on Monday.
The joint session of Congress proceeded even as a winter storm hovered over the nation’s capital, dropping about 6 inches (15 cm) of snow and snarling travel.
The final certification backed up preliminary findings that Trump won 312 Electoral College votes to Harris’s 226.
Republicans also captured a majority in the U.S. Senate and held a narrow edge in the House in November’s election, which will give Trump the party support he needs to implement his planned agenda of tax cuts and a crackdown on immigrants living in the country illegally.
Democrats did not try to block certification of Trump’s victory on Monday.
“We must renew our commitment to safeguarding American democracy,” No. 2 House Democrat Katherine Clark said in a statement earlier in the day. “As elected leaders, our loyalty must be to the Constitution, first and always. We are here to honor the will of the people and the rule of law.”
Security inside and outside the Capitol was heightened in preparation for the certification and was expected to remain in place through Trump’s swearing-in on Jan. 20.
The Capitol grounds were ringed by metal fences hundreds of yards from the U.S. Capitol, and accessible only via checkpoints guarded by uniformed police officers.
Convoys of black police vehicles were on hand, led by a 10-wheel Baltimore police mobile command center. New York Police Department reinforcements were also patrolling the area.
Inside, extra teams of uniformed U.S. Capitol Police officers were checking IDs at entrance sites including doors and underground tunnels leading to the House and Senate chambers.
Trump has said he plans to pardon some of the more than 1,500 people charged with taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, when a mob fought with police, smashing its way in through windows and doors and chanting, “Hang Mike Pence,” referring to Trump’s then-vice president, in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.
In the 2021 melee at the Capitol, rioters surged past police barricades, assaulting about 140 officers and causing more than $2.8 million in damage. Multiple police officers who battled protesters died in the weeks that followed, some by suicide.
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