International Shia News Agency

Pakistanis spent Rs250bn on smoking in current year

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association)

Pakistanis burnt their Rs250 billion to ashes through smoking of over 64bn cigarettes in the financial year FY14, disclosed a State Bank report recently issued.

The State Bank’s Statistical Bulletin reports that Pakistanis smoked 64.48bn cigarettes in the year FY-14.

Despite the rising cost of cigarettes, manufacturers have succeeded in maintaining and keeping up with the demand.

The average price of cigarette is considered Rs4 (conservative estimate) and the total price of 64.48bn cigarettes comes to an estimated Rs258bn.

The minimum price of cigarettes available in the market is Rs50 per pack of 20 cigarettes or Rs2.5 per cigarette.

Cigarettes dealers said branded cigarettes are smuggled from Pakistan to regional countries due to better taste of tobacco produced in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, tobacco and cigarette smoking is said to be responsible for 90 per cent of lung cancer cases. Over 100,000 people, including women and children become victim to lung cancer annually while many more are left disfigured and with life-long illnesses including heart disease and hypertension.

In this scenario, the government and health authorities have failed to curtail the number of smokers in the country which continues to increase with each passing day.

Though the Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Places and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance 2002 is there, its implementation remains a hard task for the health agencies.

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