Youth Demand Graphic Health Warnings Cover 85% of Tobacco Packs

Islamabad – (Staff Reporter/News Desk) – Graphic Health Warnings on cigarette packs are once again in the spotlight, as young voices across Pakistan call for stronger action against tobacco use. At a recent session organized by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), youth ambassadors pushed for raising these warnings from the current 60 percent to 85 percent of pack coverage, calling it one of the simplest yet most powerful tools to keep children and teenagers away from smoking.

The event brought together young advocates, health experts, and community members who all agreed on one thing: cigarette packaging should never look appealing. Instead, it should show the real and painful consequences of tobacco use.

During the session, participants also signed the “Youth Voices for a Tobacco-Free Future” petition. The petition supports tougher rules on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, along with the push for larger warning labels.

Tehreem Akhtar Qureshi, a youth ambassador at the event, explained why these warnings matter so much. She said they work because they replace glossy, attractive packaging with the harsh truth about smoking-related illness. She also pointed out that Pakistan, as a signatory to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, had already committed to covering 85 percent of packaging with these warnings under Article 11 of the treaty.

Even so, progress has been slow. Tobacco use is still linked to more than 192,000 preventable deaths in Pakistan every year, and over 31 million adults continue to use tobacco products. These numbers, Tehreem said, show there is still a long way to go.

Fellow youth ambassador Shafia Asad spoke about the wider toll tobacco takes on the country. She said the habit continues to burden Pakistan’s health system heavily, contributing to lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic breathing illnesses. Beyond the personal loss felt by families, she added, this also puts pressure on the nation’s healthcare resources and economy.

Ayan Akhtar, another young advocate at the session, put it simply: cigarette packs should never look attractive. He described these warnings as more than just images, calling them a genuine public health tool that informs people, discourages smoking, and ultimately saves lives.

Dr. Khalil Ahmad, Program Manager at SPARC, added a broader perspective. He noted that Pakistan has already made solid progress on several fronts, including tobacco taxation, advertising limits, and pictorial warnings. However, he stressed that more work remains to fully apply all six of the WHO’s MPOWER measures. Making warnings larger and rotating them regularly, he explained, would raise public awareness, help smokers quit, and make tobacco products far less appealing to young people.

He also pointed to international examples. Countries like Brazil, Turkey, Canada, Thailand, and Australia have already adopted larger, regularly changing warning labels as part of their tobacco control efforts, and these steps have shown real results in cutting down tobacco use.

As Pakistan continues its journey toward stronger tobacco control, the message from its youth is loud and clear. They want packaging that tells the truth, warnings that protect the next generation, and a future where fewer families have to face the pain caused by tobacco-related illness.