Driving down any street in Karachi, it’s hard to miss the glow of neon signs advertising vaping products and e-cigarettes, one shop after another, lined up like restaurants on a busy food street. In a world steadily pushing cigarettes off the shelves, the tobacco industry is reinventing itself, not by backing down, but by pivoting and doubling down on newer nicotine-based products, all marketed as ‘safer’ alternatives to smoking, and all rapidly gaining popularity among young Pakistanis. According to Dr Javaid A Khan, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Aga Khan University, this growing trend is far from harmless. It’s alarmingly under-regulated and possibly setting up the next major public health crisis. “Cigarette smoking has become stigmatised; everyone knows it causes cancer and heart disease. But vaping? It’s seen as trendy, modern, even safe,” he said. “The truth is, it still contains nicotine, it’s highly addictive, and there are no long-term safety studies yet.”