Pakistan, May 30 -- Mubashir Akram, National Convenor of ACT Alliance Pakistan, has emphasized the need to safeguard Pakistan's fiscal sovereignty by ensuring that tax policymaking remains anchored in national interests and grounded in local realities. Speaking with journalists in Islamabad, Akram expressed concern over the recurring pattern of international interventions in Pakistan's tobacco taxation discourse, particularly in the weeks leading up to the federal budget.
He noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently taken a more prominent role in advocating for tax increases on tobacco products, following years of similar activism by foreign-funded entities such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) and Vital Strat...