Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has rejected calls for a smoking ban based on Islamic considerations, the Malay Mail reported.
At a party congress on December 24, he said in response to comments made by an MP: "I am not a ban-smoking mufti."
This comes after Malaysia passed new legislation to regulate tobacco advertising, packaging and smoking in public places, but excluded a provision that would have made it illegal for Malaysians born after 2007 to buy or consume nicotine products.
The so-called intergenerational tobacco ban (GEG) was abandoned after the Attorney General's Office raised concerns that it might unconstitutionally create different rules for different age groups. However, critics blame pressure from the tobacco industry for Malaysia's U-turn.
Earlier, Ahmed apologized for failing to retain a generational tobacco ban in tobacco laws.
