Market & legal data for the vapour sector in Pakistan

31st August 2023: Pakistan: Experts and health advocates, such as the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), have urged the government to take immediate action and ban novel tobacco products, nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes, press reports. Malik Imran Ahmed, country head for Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK), said that these products are being consumed by young people and that Pakistan should take measures as other countries have. Ziauddin Islam, former technical head of the Tobacco Control Cell at the Ministry of Health, also said that these products pose a risk to health and should be banned.
20th February 2023: Pakistan: In response to the recent cigarette tax increase, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) – an independent non-profit organisation – has said that the government should impose high taxes on heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, reiterating that increasing the taxes will result in reduced consumption and will help to fight the black market, press reports. Last Tuesday, 14th February, the government increased the general sales tax of standard cigarettes to 18% and the excise duty on cigarettes from PKR6.5 ($0.025) to PKR16.5 ($0.063) per cigarette – an increase of 153% – according to a local report.

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