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Thursday March 28, 2024

CTC urges mayor to end plantation accord with tobacco company

By our correspondents
August 30, 2017

Islamabad: While appreciating the recent launch of the monsoon tree plantation campaign in Islamabad, the Coalition for Tobacco Control–Pakistan (CTC-Pak) has expressed serious reservations over the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and a tobacco company for tree plantation as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Terming the accord “an act of disgrace,” CTC-Pak Tuesday appealed to the Mayor of Islamabad to call off this MoU in the best interest of public health.

“This is an act of disgracing the tireless efforts of civil society organizations, the Ministry of Health, and legions of tobacco control advocates including health professionals, academicians, lawyers and youth,” CTC-Pak’s National Coordinator Khurram Hashmi stated on Tuesday.

“The Mayor of Islamabad Sheikh Anser Aziz, in an effort to purify the environment by reducing pollution, has extended his hands to incorporate the support of a tobacco firm which is clearly involved in anti-environment business; selling poisonous products which are acting as a catalyst to fast-forward mortality among youth in particular. On the one hand, the Mayor is an advocate of smoke-free Islamabad whereby he is banning the consumption of tobacco products at different public and private facilities while on the other, he is encouraging the same tobacco industry to make Islamabad a healthy place to live in. Isn’t that ridiculous?” Khurram asks in a press statement.

Pakistan is a signatory of the WHO’s Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004 under which the government will not accord any agreement with any public and private firm which will hamper tobacco control activities in the country. The MoU signed with the tobacco company for tree plantation as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity is distinctly against the spirit of FCTC and has tarnished the tireless efforts of tobacco control advocates. Article 13 of the Convention states: “Parties recognized that comprehensive ban on advertising, promotions and sponsorship would reduce the consumption of tobacco product.” On the contrary, this MoU is signalling an appreciation from the government to the tobacco industry for their heinous contribution towards killing of its citizens.

CTC-Pak is a coalition of more than 250 civil society partner organizations hailing from all four provinces of Pakistan and is working towards strengthening the development and implementation of tobacco control policies in Pakistan.