‘Sheesha is smoking too’: Court asked to enforce smoking ban

Petitioner says sheesha more harmful than cigarettes.


Express November 03, 2011

LAHORE:


A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court seeking enforcement of a 2002 ordinance outlawing smoking in public places and action against cafes and restaurants in the city that serve sheesha.


The petitioner, Khurram Hashmi of the Society of Alternative Media and Research and Coalition for Tobacco Control-Pakistan, submitted that most tobacco users start when they are young and susceptible to peer pressure and advertising. He said sheesha was very popular among the youth. He said restaurants and cafes in Lahore provided sheesha to boys and girls under the age of 18.

The petitioner, through Advocate Muhammad Abdullah Amin, said that the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance 2002, which provides for a ban on smoking in public places, had never been effectively implemented.

He said that smoking sheesha was also a form of tobacco use and more dangerous than cigarettes. He asked the court to issue directions to the Punjab government to enforce the ban on smoking in public and take action to prevent restaurants and cafes from serving sheesha.

The chief secretary, health secretary, home secretary, law secretary, inspector general of Punjab Police and capital city police officer are named as respondents in the petition.

(Read: Old debate, new rules: Put it in your pipe and smoke it, say hookah lovers)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2011. 

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ