KARACHI: The President of All Balochistan Progressive Private Schools Association (ABPPSA) said on Saturday the body would comply with a government ban on the sale and use of sugary drinks at schools and universities in the impoverished southwestern province.
Public health officials around the world have tied soda drinking to a host of health problems in children.
Balochistan is one of the poorest provinces in Pakistan and has some of the worst health indicators in the country. Malnutrition rates are high, making children especially vulnerable to diseases like malaria, diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid.
“The government hasn’t officially communicated the orders [to us yet] but if there is a ban, we will comply,” Muhammad Nawaz Pandrani, chairman of the ABPPSA, told Arab News.
Muhammad Khan Lehri, Balochistan government's adviser on education, told Arab News that Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal had imposed a “complete bar” on the trade and use of carbonated drinks in schools and colleges during a meeting with provincial food authority officials on Friday. The sale and use of Gutka, or chewing tobacco, and Ajinomoto salt, were also banned in the province.
“The use of substandard food items is having a damaging impact on the minds of children and obstructing their body and cerebral growth,” Lehri said, adding that he would issue directives to schools and colleges to implement the ban on sugary drinks immediately. An awareness campaign is also in the works to educate citizens about using harmful food items, he said.
Medical experts also welcomed the ban on the sale and use of corroborated drinks in educational institutes.
“Carbonated and energy drinks result in high blood sugar and are also the prime cause of obesity in children and youth,” Dr Ismail Mirwani, Senior Vice President at the Pakistan Medical Association Balochistan, told Arab News. “We are witnessing increasing rate of heart attacks in youths … the outcome of bad lifestyle and consuming foods and drinks that are hazardous to health,” he said.
He urged the government to enact legislation on sugary drinks and punish violators.
