Each October, a familiar cycle begins. Advocacy groups reappear with the same slogans about tobacco control. This predictable rhythm raises a question about motive. Is public health the goal, or has activism become a seasonal exercise tied to grant calendars rather than real reform?
Amid this pattern, Fair Trade in Tobacco stands out for maintaining focus throughout the year. The initiative promotes fairness in trade and taxation instead of chasing visibility. It highlights that Pakistan’s regulated tobacco sector contributes significant revenue to the national treasury and supports thousands of jobs, while illegal operators evade nearly Rs 400 billion in taxes each year. By drawing attention to this imbalance, it pushes a more grounded conversation about accountability and economic impact.
Groups such as SPARC, SDPI, Blue Veins, Chromatic, the Human Development Foundation, and SPDC regularly resurface each October with campaigns aimed at further taxation. Their silence the rest of the year invites scrutiny. When counterfeit and untaxed products continue to circulate, when government revenue falls, and when enforcement weakens, these organisations are nowhere to be found. Their selective approach narrows the national debate and leaves key economic concerns unaddressed.
The same pattern extends to international players. Vital Strategies and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) have both faced accusations of operational misconduct in Pakistan. The Ministry of Interior ordered their closure after reports of unauthorized operations, and allegedly funding local organisations without securing the required approvals, & influencing policymaking. These allegations raise doubts about transparency and compliance with national law, yet their influence continues through local partners who echo the same limited talking points.
The deeper issue lies in how activism has become cyclical, surfacing only when funding arrives and fading once the headlines disappear. Real progress demands persistence beyond slogans and consistency beyond October. Reform cannot rely on noise that comes and goes with each grant season. Until advocacy finds the discipline to last the full year, the causes it claims to serve will remain unfinished work, revived briefly, then forgotten again.
This article is written by Zara Ahmed. She is a writer with a deep interest in public health, policy analysis, and tobacco harm reduction.