The Tobacco Control Cell (TCC) in Pakistan has taken legal action against Philip Morris International – Pakistan (PMI-Pakistan) for violating advertising laws. The violation occurred in November when PMI-Pakistan printed an A4-sized advertisement in one of Pakistan’s Sunday magazines. The tobacco control law in force restricts advertising to only one square inch.

The Tobacco Control Cell (TCC) in Pakistan has taken legal action against Philip Morris International – Pakistan (PMI-Pakistan) for violating advertising laws. The violation occurred in November when PMI-Pakistan printed an A4-sized advertisement in one of Pakistan’s Sunday magazines. The tobacco control law in force restricts advertising to only one square inch.

The TCC took immediate action and sent a notice to the company pointing out the violation. Though the company apologised, it claimed in its response that it had innocently misinterpreted the law, which they claimed is unclear. They promised to adhere to the law next time.  Nonetheless, the TCC was unconvinced that PMI-Pakistan had misunderstood the law.

The District Coordinator for Tobacco Control at the TCC, Syed Amir Hassan, said “I have registered the case against the CEO of the company because he has violated the law. Being a tobacco control activist, it is my responsibility to raise a voice against the violators. I will follow up the case and register the same if the violations take place again.” Mr Hassan had earlier filed an official complaint ‘Qalandara’ in the police station in Faisalabad.  That case has been sent to a Magistrate of the first class who can impose fine on this violation.

Since the advertisement was published nationally, the TCC urged activists in other districts to also register complaints against the company. The TCCs in all provinces have since filed complaints against PMI-Pakistan. “We have directed our coordinators to ensure the compliance with tobacco control laws, and register cases against the violators in their districts. We will not tolerate any violation by the tobacco companies,” said Dr. Ziauddin Islam, Deputy Project Director of the TCC. It has also come to light that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Government Health Department has lodged an official complaint with the police, raising the issue to a higher level.

The TCC is a recipient of a Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use grant administered by The Union. The project ‘Strengthening Tobacco Control in Pakistan’ aims to build tobacco control infrastructure at the provincial and district levels. It also works on increasing public awareness about the harms of tobacco use and second-hand smoke.

TCC also aims to promote tobacco control laws and encourage the capacity building of those working with governments in enforcing them. Twelve provincial and district coordinators are now in place across Pakistan and have been monitoring compliance with tobacco control laws, “As a result of orientation sessions conducted for police officers under this BI-funded project, more than 150 cases have been registered against violators of other sections of the laws in project districts. This is the first case registered against any tobacco company,” said Mr. Muhamad Javed, Project Manager for TCC.