M Yousuf
Karachi: Ziauddin University hosted the 25th edition of its interactive ZU Dialogues series on Thursday, spotlighting what speakers described as a growing public health crisis: the surge in vaping, e-cigarette and nicotine pouch use among young people.
The session, titled “Vapes, Cigarettes & Pouches: The New Traps Targeting Gen Z”, featured academics, health professionals, policymakers and activists who warned that new tobacco products were deliberately designed to lure youth into long-term addiction.
Zeeshan Danish of the Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR) said the tobacco industry was repackaging its strategy under the labels of “harm reduction” and “new tobacco products” to mislead consumers. “These terms are crafted to deceive young people into believing they are safer choices, when in fact they pave the way for lifelong addiction,” he said, noting that more than 44 countries have already banned vapes and nicotine pouches.
From a psychological perspective, Dr. Jamshaid Ahmed of Ziauddin University pointed to peer pressure and flashy marketing as major drivers. “We are living in an age of evolution, yet when it comes to tobacco, we seem to be moving backwards,” he said, urging families to play a more active role.
Highlighting the health impact, Prof. Dr. Syed Ali Raza, head of medicine at Dr. Ziauddin Hospital, stressed that cigarettes and related products contain hundreds of harmful chemicals. “One visit to a cancer ward is enough to realise the horror behind this addiction,” he remarked.
Former Sindh caretaker minister for education Rana Hussain expressed alarm that tobacco use had reached schoolchildren. “While laws exist, weak enforcement undermines progress,” she said, calling for collective responsibility from parents, teachers and institutions.
Delivering the welcome note, Dr. Sumaira Khowaja Panjwani, Principal of the College of Nursing & Midwifery, said tobacco consumption had evolved from hookah to sheesha, and now to vapes and nicotine pouches, packaged to mislead young minds.
Amir Shahzad, convener of ZU Dialogues and moderator of the event, concluded by urging students to take ownership of a smoke-free future. “Our youth must stop seeing themselves as passive consumers and instead rise as leaders,” he said.
The session ended with a Q&A, reflecting what organisers described as students’ growing awareness and commitment to a tobacco-free future.
