Research Articles

Addressing Pakistan's Smoking Crisis (March 2025)
When one is grappled with the question of ending smoking in Pakistan, one is overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge. How can a country with more than 31 million tobacco users achieve the target of a smoke-free country? A tall order, indeed. More than half of the tobacco users – 17.3 million - are smokers. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter February 2025 (March 12, 2025)
Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) and its Punjab partners held meetings with adult smokers, vapers, and tobacco users to help them quit and achieve a smoke-free Pakistan. In February, the meetings were conducted by Future Development Foundation in Sargodha, Maimar Development Organization in Faisalabad, Sun Consultant and Enterprises Services in Multan, Dove Foundation in Bahawalpur, Al-Emaan Development Organization in Dera Ghazi Khan, and Dove Foundation in Lahore. Click for detail

Tobacco use - still a public health challenge (February 2025)

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths worldwide, claiming millions of lives annually. Despite widespread awareness of its harmful effects, tobacco use remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in countries like Pakistan.

ARI Newsletter January 2025 (February 17, 2025)
Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) and its Sindh partners have conducted meetings with adult smokers, vapers and tobacco users, aiming to help adult smokers quit and achieve a smoke-free Pakistan. Click for detail

Lack of smoking cessation services - a missing link in Pakistan’s tobacco control (February 07, 2025)

After two decades of campaigns against smoking, Pakistan has reported an annual death rate from smoking of 91.1 per 100,000 people, notably higher than the averages for South Asia (78.1) and the rest of the world (72.6). This is an extremely worrying development for a country that the World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded for its tobacco control initiatives.

ARI Newsletter December 2024 (February 07, 2025)
The Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) and its partner organizations have conducted awareness sessions on ending smoking in 12 districts, six each in Punjab and Sindh, aiming to engage local communities and students in efforts to save youth from smoking, help adults quit, and achieve a smoke-free Pakistan. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter November 2024 (December 31, 2024)
Sweden has made anti-smoking history by becoming the first country in the world to be officially declared 'smoke free,' new government figures reveal. The data, released by Sweden's public health agency, shows that just 4.5 per cent of Swedish-born adults now smoke - well under the globally recognized benchmark of five per cent to achieve smoke free status. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter October 2024 (November 2024)
Afnan, 29, a businessman, started smoking back in 2010 when he was 14. He soon became hooked and started consuming 20 cigarettes a day, leading to severe health issues, including sinus, chest infection, tiredness, and headache. In February 2024, he switched to vaping to overcome his health problems, and it worked. He successfully quit smoking after making the switch but added that vaping also led to health problems. "Vaping helped me quit smoking, but now, my stomach remains upset," Afnan shared his quit-smoking experience with the Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) in Blue Area, Islamabad. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter September 2024 (October 28, 2028)
ISLAMABAD: The Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) has called for a significant scale-up in efforts to provide effective and affordable smoking essation services across Pakistan, where an estimated 31 million people are tobacco users. "Smoking is a major public health issue in Pakistan, ontributing to a wide range of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions," said Arshad Ali Syed, Project Director of ARI. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter August 2024 (October 02, 2024)
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination told the National Assembly that the Velo nicotine pouches are non-obacco products and do not fall under its regulatory mandate. Click for detail

Health Ministry says Velo nicotine pouches non-tobacco products, not under its regulatory mandate (September 11, 2024)
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination told the National Assembly on September 5 that the Velo nicotine pouches are non-tobacco products and do not fall under its regulatory mandate. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter July 2024 (August 19, 2024)
Qatar: A recent study by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has revealed that 63.5% of the visitors to smoking cessation clinics successfully quit the habit, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported. Significant differences in smoking cessation rates were noted based on the nationality and educational level of the participants, though. Click for detail

ARI Newsletter June 2024 (August 06, 2024)
KARACHI: A study, co-authored by researchers from three countries, has discovered the presence of second-hand smoke in an alarming 95 per cent of children in Pakistan and Bangladesh, putting them at an increased risk of respiratory tract infections and, in cases of babies with hereditary disorders, death. Click for detail