Court seeks explanation of smoking law

Petition demands restriction on open sale of sheesha, cigarettes at public places

KARACHI, PAKISTAN:

The Sindh High Court sought on Thursday an explanation from the Sindh government of the law pertaining to smoking sheesha and cigarettes.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, sought the explanation during the hearing of a plea seeking a ban on the open sale of cigarettes and sheesha at public places.

At the hearing, the petitioner's counsel claimed that instructions outlined in the notification issued by the Sindh government in connection with restrictions on the use of sheesha and cigarettes were not being followed.

"Efforts are being made to curb smoking elsewhere in the world, but this is not the case here," the counsel argued, calling for disallowing the provision of cigarettes to people under 18 years of age.

He further recommended allocating at least half the space on cigarette packets to display notices informing consumers about the harmful effects of cigarettes, increasing cigarette prices and reducing the prices of edibles.  

Stating that the open sale of sheesha and cigarettes was affecting the health of thousands, the counsel moved the court to order a ban on the sale of the stated products at public spots.

Adjourning the hearing, the court sought an explanation of the law pertaining to smoking cigarettes and sheesha from the Sindh government.