TUHIN SHUBHRA ADHIKARY

The BNP government amended at least two laws in ways that could further promote the production and use of tobacco products despite pledging tobacco control in its election manifesto, said anti-tobacco campaigners.

The ban on the production and use of e-cigarettes was lifted, while the provision that barred tobacco cultivation on triple-crop or other high-yielding agricultural land was lifted.

These legal changes are fully contradictory to the BNP’s election manifestos, said Hossain Zillur Rahman, a former adviser to a caretaker government.

“The party has spoken of protecting the younger generation and strengthening tobacco control. But weakening tobacco control laws will first and foremost harm young people, particularly new smokers,” he told The Daily Star on April 19.

Ziauddin Hyder, an adviser to BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman, however, does not think the steps contradict their manifesto.

“BNP is committed to control or prevent the misuse of tobacco products,” said Hyder, a member of a government cell formed to implement the BNP manifesto.

Amid growing demands from anti-tobacco campaigners, the interim government in January last year banned the import of e-cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), to protect public health.

Later on December 23, an ordinance was approved expanding the definition of tobacco products in the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act and introducing several new provisions to regulate their use.

Section 6 (Ga) of the ordinance says no person shall produce, import, export, store, advertise,

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