Ziauddin University hosted the 25th interactive series of ZU Dialogues, titled “Vapes, Cigarettes & Pouches: The New Traps Targeting Gen Z”.
This dialogue shed light on a growing public health emergency: the rapid rise of vapes, e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches among youth. Speakers warned that these products are not just recreational trends but calculated traps designed to hook Gen Z into lifelong addiction.
Explaining the variations the tobacco industry is using nowadays to target youth, Zeeshan Danish, Project Coordinator at the Society for Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR), Islamabad said, “The tobacco industry has a long history of manipulation; from distributing free cigarettes to soldiers in World War I to trapping new generations today. For them, health is irrelevant; profit is the only motive. People are not seen as individuals, only as consumers to be hooked for life.”
He further warned that the same agenda is now being disguised through so-called New Tobacco Products (NTPs) and Tobacco Harm Reduction Products (THRPs). “These terms are crafted to deceive young people into believing they are safer choices, when in fact they pave the way for lifelong addiction. Misleading claims about illicit trade and tax evasion are also used to sway policy, even as Pakistan’s market remains flooded with dozens of players, while more than 44 countries worldwide have already banned vapes and nicotine pouches. This is not innovation, it is exploitation packaged as progress,” he stated.
From a socio-psychological perspective, Dr. Jamshaid Ahmed, Sports & Exercise Psychologist at Ziauddin University, highlighted how peer pressure and flashy advertising push students toward harmful products despite existing awareness. “We are living in an age of evolution, yet when it comes to tobacco, we seem to be moving backwards,” he remarked, noting that families as the first social institution must play their role. He cautioned that misconceptions around vaping create a dangerous false sense of safety.
Speaking on the health dimension, Prof. Dr. Syed Ali Raza, Consultant & Head of Medicine at Dr. Ziauddin Hospital, pointed out that every cigarette contains more than 400 harmful chemicals directly linked to life-threatening illnesses. “One visit to a cancer ward is enough to realize the horror behind this addiction. Life always gives choices, and what is right for one individual must be the choice,” he stressed, urging the youth to resist such traps.
On policy and enforcement, Rana Hussain, Former Caretaker Minister for Education, Sindh and Principal, College of Education, Ziauddin University expressed concern that tobacco use has now reached even school-going children. She said that while laws exist, weak enforcement undermines progress. “This is not just the government’s responsibility, parents, teachers, and institutions must wake up before we lose another generation,” she warned.
Delivering the welcome address, Dr. Sumaira Khowaja Panjwani, Principal, College of Nursing & Midwifery at Ziauddin University, drew attention to the dangerous evolution of tobacco use, from hookah to sheesha, and now to vapes and nicotine pouches. “These products come wrapped in flashy, attractive packaging to deceive young minds, but behind them lies a lifetime of dependency. You must realize; you are not the targets of this industry, you are the changemakers who can break this cycle,” she urged the students.
While moderating the session, Amir Shahzad, Convener of ZU Dialogues, warned that the fight against tobacco is not just about banning products but about safeguarding an entire generation’s future. “Our youth must stop seeing themselves as passive consumers and instead rise as leaders who will build smoke-free campuses and communities,” he concluded.
The session concluded with a thoughtful Q&A, reflecting the students’ growing sense of awareness and responsibility toward a tobacco free future.
