The campaign materials will inform retailers about three specific violations and the consequent punishments. As per the Cigarette Printing of Warning Ordinance 1979, all cigarette packets without the Urdu and English textual health warnings and the government mandated pictorial health warnings are illegal. In the second phase, they will spread awareness among the people through advertisement of different brands of cigarettes being sold outside the shops.
As per the health laws, the sale of cigarettes to minors, especially below the age of 18, is also prohibited. Sources said the DCO's initiative comes at a time when the sale of illegal cigarettes is at its peak. Such initiatives must not only be commended but also replicated in other cities.