The UK’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Philip Barton was part of a British American Tobacco (BAT) delegation which lobbied the Pakistan government not to implement larger graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, a measure which is in line with the WHO tobacco treaty the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.  For the High Commissioner to attend such a lobbying meeting is a breach of the UK guidelines which state that, “Posts must not: Engage with foreign governments on behalf of the tobacco industry, except in cases where local policies could be considered protectionist or discriminatory.”

Please sign our petition to the Head of the UK’s diplomatic service, Sir Simon Fraser urging him to apologise publicly for this breach of the guidelines and to promise that such a breach will not happen again.