Universities Sign Charter for Tobacco- and Nicotine-Free Campuses

University leaders from several parts of Pakistan have signed a charter to phase out cigarettes and other tobacco and nicotine products on participating campuses. The initiative also proposes student-led awareness, monitoring and research, and seeks national-level policy support.

Led by COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) at its Islamabad campus, the meeting brought together representatives from universities in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to discuss challenges facing higher education.

What the campus charter proposes

The charter covers conventional cigarettes as well as e-cigarettes, vaping devices, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches. Participating universities have agreed to work towards phasing out these products, with implementation dependent on the measures each institution adopts.

The proposed framework includes student-led awareness campaigns, research into tobacco and nicotine use, monitoring mechanisms and annual progress assessments. The stated aim is to make the commitment an ongoing campus effort.

Request for national policy support

The forum agreed to send a joint letter and the signed charter to the Prime Minister through the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), seeking national-level measures to support tobacco- and nicotine-free campuses across Pakistan.

The charter is a commitment by the participating institutions. It does not, by itself, establish that a blanket nationwide legal ban has come into force.

Addressing the gathering, CUI Rector Prof. Dr. Raheel Qamar spoke about the responsibility of university leaders in responding to changing social conditions and rapid technological developments.

Institutions represented at the forum included Air University, Bahria University, FAST-National University, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Federal Urdu University, Health Services Academy, HITEC University, National Skills University, NUTECH, PIEAS and Virtual University of Pakistan. Other participants included Alhamd Islamic University, Northern University, City University Islamabad/Islamabad Medical & Dental College, Iqra University, PAF-IAST, Preston University, SZABIST University, Women University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and IUCPSS Pakistan.