VCs and Rectors sign charter for tobacco and nicotine-free University Campuses

Islamabad
Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Heads of Higher Education Institutions have signed a landmark Charter for Tobacco and Nicotine-Free Campuses, pledging collective action to protect Pakistani youth from tobacco and nicotine addiction. The Charter was adopted during the Fifth Monthly Meeting of the Vice Chancellors and Rectors Forum, hosted by COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) at its Islamabad Campus.
The meeting, held at the CUI Central Library, brought together university leaders and representatives of higher education institutions from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir to deliberate on pressing challenges facing Pakistan’s higher education sector.
The Charter establishes a collective framework for achieving 100 percent tobacco, smoke, vape and recreational nicotine-free university campuses, covering conventional tobacco products as well as emerging products such as electronic cigarettes, vaping devices, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches. Under the Charter, participating universities have committed to progressively eliminating tobacco and recreational nicotine use from their campuses, and promote student-led awareness campaigns, research, institutional monitoring and annual assessments of progress.
The Forum further agreed that a joint letter, accompanied by the signed Charter, would be forwarded to the Prime Minister of Pakistan through the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), seeking national-level policy intervention.
Welcoming the participants, Prof. Dr. Raheel Qamar, T.I., Rector, COMSATS University Islamabad, emphasised the responsibilities of university leadership in responding to rapidly changing societal and technological challenges. He particularly drew attention to the transformative implications of artificial intelligence and its convergence with emerging technologies, including quantum computing, for scientific discovery, knowledge creation and the future of higher education.
Beyond the public-health initiative, the Forum held extensive deliberations on major academic, regulatory and financial challenges confronting universities.
Among the participants were Air Marshal (Retd.) Abdul Moeed Khan, Vice Chancellor, Air University; Mr. Aqeel Ahmed, Director, Alhamd Islamic University; Vice Admiral (Retd.) Abid Hameed, Rector, Bahria University; Mr. Taha Sarwar, CEO, Northern University; Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Prof. Dr. Muhammad Aslam, Vice Chancellor, City University Islamabad/Islamabad Medical & Dental College; Prof. Dr. Raheel Qamar, Rector, COMSATS University Islamabad; Dr. Aftab Ahmad Maroof, Rector, FAST-National University; Prof. Dr. Bushra Mirza, Vice Chancellor, Fatima Jinnah Women University; Prof. Dr. Zabta Khan Shinwari, Vice Chancellor, Federal Urdu University; and Prof. Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice Chancellor, Health Services Academy, Prof. Dr. Sohail Asghar, Vice Chancellor, HITEC University; Mr. Waheed Ahmad, CEO, Iqra University, Chak Shahzad Campus; Prof. Dr. Saud Altaf, Vice Chancellor, National Skills University; Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Moazzam Ejaz, Rector, National University of Technology (NUTECH); Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mujahid, Rector, PAF-IAST; Prof. Dr. Anila Usman, Vice Chancellor, PIEAS; Dr. Abdul Basit, Chancellor, Preston University; Mr. Pervaiz Khan, Director, SZABIST University; Prof. Dr. Arshad Saleem Bhatti, Rector, Virtual University of Pakistan; Prof. Dr. Anila Kamal, Vice Chancellor, Women University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir; and Mr. Murtaza Noor, National Coordinator, IUCPSS Pakistan.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to institutional cooperation, evidence-based policymaking and collective advocacy for higher education reforms.