Peshawar June 10, 2021 PESHAWAR: The number of smokers in Pakistan would reduce sharply and the related health burden would also come down if the government would increase cigarette prices at least 50 percent in the budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22. A recent research study titled “Switch, reduce or quit: how smokers respond to tobacco tax increases in Pakistan,” carried out by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), said that 50 percent increase in price of cigarettes would lead to the same amount of reduction in tobacco demand in Pakistan, as majority of smokers would prefer to quit instead of switching to other brands.