Shisha prohibition: Court summons city police chief for 11th

Petitioners ask court to declare cafe raids illegal.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday again summoned Capital City Police Officer Aslam Tareen for April 11 on a petition for stopping two cafes from offering shisha.

Earlier on March 24, Justice Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain had summoned the CCPO for April 4, but he did not appear in the court. The Model Town SP, who appeared before the court on his behalf, said that the shisha cafes were a hub of narcotics and immoral activities.

He said that the police had received many complaints against these cafes. Unsatisfied with the explanation, the court again summoned the CCPO.

The petition was filed by Danial Arif and Muhammad Arif Saleem, owners of the two cafes raided by the police.

Their counsel Muhammad Ahmed Pansoota said that on March 17 Arif’s Sheikhoo’s Café at MM Alam Road and Saleem’s Café Life at Saeed Ahmad Block, Gaddafi Stadium, were visited by some officials from the Liberty Market police station. He said the café owners were told that the raid had been directed by the CCPO.  He said the police confiscated two shishas from Sheikhoo’s Café and four from Café Life.

Pansoota said that the action was illegal and without jurisdiction. He said that the police were blackmailing his clients who were reputed businessmen.He said that their businesses were protected by Article 18 of the Constitution.

He asked the court to declare the raids illegal and direct the Inspector General of Punjab Police to refrain from initiating such actions in future.

He also asked the court to issue directions for registration of criminal cases against the police officials involved.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2011.