Pakistan Tobacco Companies Agree to Use New Tracking System

Aug.07.2022
Pakistan Tobacco Companies Agree to Use New Tracking System
Seven tobacco companies in Pakistan agree to use new tracking system, with all companies to use it by July 2022.

As reported by Propakistani, four more tobacco companies have agreed to use Pakistan's new tracking system, bringing the total number of companies using the system to seven.


As of July 2022, all tobacco companies operating in Pakistan are required to use the country's tracking system. Tobacco products may only enter the domestic market if they bear a stamp and unique identification mark.


Prior to this, only three tobacco manufacturers - Pakistan Tobacco Company, Philip Morris International, and Khyber Tobacco Company - utilized this tracking system.


Asia Tobacco, Frontier Leaf Tobacco, Falcon Tobacco, and International Cigarette have now decided to sign an agreement with the Federal Board of Revenue in Pakistan to implement a tracking system in their factories.


Apart from multinational corporations, there are at least 21 tobacco companies operating in Pakistan, with 18 located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 3 in the country's federal and provincial tribal areas.


Tobacco companies that have already joined the system insist that it can only be successful if all participants implement it. Critics allege that some opponents engage in illicit trade and fear that the tracking system will expose their illegal activity.


Meanwhile, Pakistan's tracking system has come under attack from anti-smoking groups who argue that the method preserves the tobacco industry and violates the World Health Organization's Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.


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