May 2025 Newsletter

The May 2025 issue focuses on World No Tobacco Day 2025 and ARI’s campaign for a smoke-free Pakistan. The lead story reports that ARI and its partner organizations organized activities across the country to raise awareness about the risks of smoking and promote healthy activities among the public.

The newsletter explains that 46 partner organizations took part in the banner activity, including 21 in Punjab, 14 in Sindh, and 11 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Banners were displayed outside prominent places such as hospitals, bazaars, parks, bus stations, and railway stations. The campaign slogan was “Ending Smoking is Possible in Pakistan.”

The campaign called on the government to listen to smokers, make effective smoking cessation services easily available, and include tobacco harm reduction in the national tobacco control policy. ARI and its partners also organized sports events in Punjab to encourage young people to choose healthy activities instead of smoking.

The issue reports football, wrestling, kabaddi, and volleyball events in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, and Dera Ghazi Khan. These events promoted the message that youth should avoid smoking and take part in sports for a healthier future.

The newsletter also includes stories from smokers and smokeless tobacco users. Safdar, a 48-year-old driver, started smoking at the age of 8 and now wants medical help to quit after several failed attempts. Maria, a 60-year-old mawa user, described her long addiction and the difficulty of quitting. Iqbal Zareef, a 62-year-old smoker, said he switched to naswar because cigarettes became expensive but still wants to try quitting after attending ARI’s session. Arsalan Sindhi also shared his struggle to quit smoking and his need for proper medical help.

Another article discusses the UAE’s approval of synthetic nicotine pouches as a less harmful alternative for adult smokers, subject to safety standards. The issue also reports ARI’s call for free district-level smoking cessation services and balanced regulation of alternative tobacco products in Pakistan.

The final section calls for tobacco awareness education to become part of school and college curricula. It says students should learn about tobacco harms, peer pressure, media influence, deceptive marketing, and the health and economic burden of tobacco use. The newsletter also reports ARI’s tobacco awareness seminars for students across Punjab.

The main story highlights ARI and its partner organizations marking World No Tobacco Day 2025 with awareness activities across Pakistan. The campaign included banner displays, sports events, and public messages calling for effective smoking cessation services, listening to smokers, and making tobacco harm reduction part of national tobacco control policy.