ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Babar Bin Ata has been entrusted with additional responsibilities as Focal Person on Tobacco Control.
Babar will assist the Special Assistant to the PM on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Zafar Mirza on all relevant matters related to tobacco control, with special emphasis on advocacy and communications, a notification issued by the PM’s Office here on Tuesday informs.
“Just had my maiden meeting with the Tobacco Control Cell of the Ministry of Health,” Babar tweeted in response. Announcing several immediate measures that he intends to implement on or before May 31, Babar has promised rotation of the pictorial health warning on cigarette packs, with the size of the warning being increased to 60 percent of the pack. At a time when the world is switching over to plain packaging of cigarettes, a more proactive approach is now warranted, rather than following conventional rotation of the pictorial warning and increasing its size.
Immediately after assuming additional charge, Babar has also declared the PM Office as 100 percent smoke-free, coupled with a ban on tobacco advertising—both outdoor and within shops. However, the test of the pudding lies in its tasting, so time alone will tell how efficiently these measures will actually be implemented.
Police said that ten people were killed in Abuja and “many others” in Okija
Russian state news agencies reported drone attack on a residential complex and other areas in Kazan
Sanjoy Roy, 33, lone accused in case, pleaded not guilty before judge in closed court on Friday in Kolkata
JUIF emir said that talks with government have been positive wherein it admitted that party’s demands were strong
Iran has poor road safety record, with more than 20,000 deaths between March 2023 and March 2024 in road accidents
Expressing solidarity with security forces, she said “Personnel of security forces are our pride"
