By: Dr. Khalil Ahmad Dogar
As global delegates prepare to gather in Geneva for the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), one truth must guide every discussion: the WHO FCTC works. It has already saved millions of lives around the world and it can save millions more, including here in Pakistan.
Since its adoption nearly two decades ago, the WHO FCTC has given governments a proven roadmap to curb tobacco use the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Measures such as higher tobacco taxes, smoke free public spaces, bans on advertising, and graphic health warnings have shown measurable impact. Countries that fully implemented these measures have seen smoking rates drop sharply, healthcare costs decline, and public health outcomes improve.
Pakistan is among the countries that ratified the WHO FCTC, committing to protect public health from the deadly harms of tobacco. However, implementation of its provisions remains uneven. Tobacco continues to claim over 160,000 lives every year in Pakistan, according to national health estimates. The burden extends beyond health it drains our economy, with billions lost annually in healthcare costs and productivity. For a developing country already struggling with economic pressures, this is a crisis we cannot afford.
The tobacco industry knows this and it has spent years undermining the very policies designed to protect people. Tobacco companies continue to target our youth through sophisticated marketing, sponsoring sports events, using social media influencers, and promoting e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches as “safer” alternatives. These are the same companies that denied for decades that smoking causes cancer. Their tactics may have evolved, but their motives remain unchanged profits over people.
As COP11 begins, governments must resist industry interference and strengthen the implementation of the WHO FCTC. Pakistan has made some progress such as banning tobacco advertising, pictorial health warnings, and declaring smoke free zones but enforcement is weak, and loopholes remain. Taxes on tobacco products are still among the lowest in the region, making cigarettes affordable for young people. Meanwhile, the introduction of new nicotine products threatens to addict another generation before we can even recover from the last.
We cannot allow this to continue. COP11 presents a critical opportunity for countries like Pakistan to reaffirm their commitment to public health and align national policies with the treaty’s strongest measures. That means raising tobacco taxes annually to keep pace with inflation, enforcing comprehensive bans on all forms of tobacco promotion including digital marketing, and ensuring full transparency to keep industry influence out of policymaking.
The evidence is clear: where governments stand firm, tobacco use declines. Where they hesitate, the industry exploits the gap. Pakistan must take a firm position in Geneva one that prioritizes the health of our citizens over the interests of powerful corporations.
Every delay costs lives. Every compromise means more children exposed to addiction and disease. The WHO FCTC is a shield that works but only if countries have the courage to use it fully. By standing united at COP11, Pakistan can help protect not only its own people but also future generations from the devastating toll of tobacco.
The writer is a child rights activist and public health advocate, currently working as a Program Manager at the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC).
