Pakistan

Punjab government contemplating ban on sheesha

Various studies show addictive drugs like cocaine, marijuana,heroine are added to the flavoured tobacco in some cases.

Express November 15, 2010

LAHORE: A symposium on World Diabetes Day (WDD) was held at Alhamra Hall on The Mall on Sunday at which Senator Pervaiz Rashid said he would submit a privilege motion in the senate for a complete ban on sheesha from the country, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Rashid said that the unchecked sheesha outlets near Gaddafi Stadium are spoiling the youth.

He said that various studies show that addictive drugs like cocaine, marijuana and heroine are added to the flavoured tobacco in some cases by the outlet managements and in others by the customers. He said that the Punjab government could not immediately impose the ban on sheesha outlets. However, he said, the government was contemplating some strategy to ban the outlets from the city.

Task Force on Spurious Drugs chairman Dr Saeed Elahi said that the WDD’s slogan, Prevention is Better than Treatment, should be popularised in order to control diabetes.

Prof Dr Javed Akram, the Allama Iqbal Medical College principal, said that all parks in the province should be used for healthy purposes. He said that if the government made the healthy use of parks a policy then use of sheesha would be banned automatically.

He said that all outlets near Gaddafi Stadium should be removed to ensure the health of the youth. He said that that sheesha is a fast growing business as its start up cost is as low as Rs100,000. He said that each customer has to pay Rs520 for one session, from which the outlet may net as much as Rs500 profit.

He said that he hoped that the Punjab government would ban sheesha within months. He said over 5,000 people got free tests from the stalls at Alhamra on the occasion of the WDD.

Post Graduate Medical Institute principal Prof Dr Tariq Salahuddin said taking prevention measures alone would help people to avoid becoming diabetes patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (38)

komal | 13 years ago | Reply this can never be hapened in our country .bcv we all love sheeshaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa hohoho

John | 13 years ago | Reply I like this idea. The youth is already too much spoiled ...

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Akhtar Ali Kureshi Advocate | 14 years ago | Reply I appreciate if government do something to save the youth from addiction of any kind, actually the govt. is miserably fail to provide other healthy facilities so that the young boys can attract the healthy activities.

farzanajabbar | 14 years ago | Reply very strange government has got nothing to do for the betterment of country and people .... why do they need to interfere in people's personal happiness and freedom ......thats why pakistan has become such a frustrated place to live that one can not even choose to do what or not by their own choice ....and govt is busy in unimportant and petty issues instead of development of country ......how sad ....

VdT | 14 years ago | Reply If the government is so keen to ban unhealthy products, why does it have its own well-funded tobacco company (Pakistan Tobbaco www.ptc.com.pk). Or are we just banning sheesha because the government isn't profiting from it's "fast growing" business itself?

Hassan | 14 years ago | Reply How ridiculous can our government be...ban the Pakistan Tobacco company bringing in millions to the government....but ofcourse not, why would they ban PTO, its bringing them money...o wait lets just ban something that will hurt small businesses. These idiots should properly tax it and discourage it in a healthy way if you they want to control it...this ban will not happen and even if did, it wont last long.

naresh | 14 years ago | Reply if u really want to do sumthing 4 our country dan take action agsaint d violation,inflation,sucide attack.crime,this sheesha is enjoyment of youth it is not a bad habit....not campare it with drugs...

Ali Farooqui | 14 years ago | Reply ermm how about enforcing drug laws before banning shisha

samina khan | 14 years ago | Reply Are the youth of Pakistan allowed no fun. Why dont we ban everything. People should be able to decide for themselves what is harmful and what isn't.

Tahira Azeem | 14 years ago | Reply Why ban only sheesha? Ban smoking too.

Anwar Hasan | 14 years ago | Reply Every ban is another opportunity for the vise to go underground and for the police to collect more bribe. It is very easy to make the rule, very hard to implement it.

Anwar Hasan | 14 years ago | Reply Every ban is another opportunity for the vise to go underground and for the police to collect more bribe.

Rizwan Liaqat | 14 years ago | Reply umm how are sheesha and diabetes related?

syed abdullah | 14 years ago | Reply Wow. Alcohol and drugs are already ban in this country but people who want them,they have them. So there is no use of baning sheesha, Just ban tea first so that people dnt ask them abt sugar price.

Talha Chaudhry | 14 years ago | Reply Is this going to bring any good to this country? I dont think so.

Hira | 14 years ago | Reply Great work! More than half of our urban youth is forced to have sheesha either becasue of peer pressure or because they think that its an "In" thing. They dont understand the harmful effects of sheesha but the older lot does. So if a step such as this is taken, we all should support it rather than come up with wierd conspiracy theories. and yes intoxicants must be banned too but if they want to start with something as small as sheesha please let them go ahead with it.

Awais | 14 years ago | Reply This is so good ban!! on sheesha sounds nice at least govt is working some where

Sonia | 14 years ago | Reply Sounds like Spanish Inquisition to me. When the Government can't solve any REAL problems, it decides to become the ultimate Moral Police. For some reason the fact that 80% of our population lives below the poverty line is not as "dangerous" as the fact that some kids like to smoke sheesha, often the only legal recreational activity that doesn't involve eating and eating some more.

Saad Durrani | 14 years ago | Reply POT CALLS THE KETTLE BLACK Ban sheesha... and what about Huqqa being used in rural Punjab... If I am not wrong, Huqqa are filled with drugs of all shapes, sizes and smells. Although, I am no sheesha-advocate but we should take a page from Iran on this one. They have restricted sheesha access to the younger lot. Taxing them would be good as well.

Nazir Habib | 14 years ago | Reply The word "CONTEMPLATING" is a dampener. The sooner 'sheesha' is STRICTLY BANNED, the better for all. Especially the younger generation. All kinds of poisonous and mind-blowing substances must be a part of this sheesha mixture which attracts the crowd. Punjab government------- it's a good thought, but now is the time to act and come down hard. Salams and best wishes.

salman haider | 14 years ago | Reply Great move by the government. This should have been done well before when this started.

Armughan | 14 years ago | Reply We don not need a chursi and bhungi nation, so i suport such a ban whole heartedly. Those who are suggest that a black market would be created, its already existing. These sheesha houses are offering it to underage people and a crack down would reduce it considerably.

shah sharahbeel | 14 years ago | Reply it is so funny...sheesha is very much allowed even in united kingdom... a country which is lot more sensitive to health issues etc... its allowed outdoor.... no outlet in lahore or even in gaddafi stadium is selling drugs in sheesha... if they are doing it...then go lodge an fir in the police.. thts the way to deal with it.. do u think a small cafe outlet will dare sell drugs like tht ?? no way.... its actually all a planning to close down mini golf park etc..didnt u read tht they want to make parks a healthy place... they want to take over mini golf park projects..... these are all dramas...its so sad tht the govt has nothing productive to do......punjab govt has no money, no vision, no plans to do anything......wat can i say... we elected them.... the rural population.... so they ruining the urban areas.....already there are no hang out places, no entertainment, no opera..no entertainment sentres.... nothing for public to go out and enjoy, relax... and feel the feel good factor in this country... indstead of developing new projects, creating new places... for ppl to go out enjoy... they are shuting down the existing ficilities..... more and more frustration now we see.... its such a pity...

s butt | 14 years ago | Reply let the people have some freedom, if you want to ban some thing, then ban rishwat,,,,ha ha

Ghausia | 14 years ago | Reply I don't even use shisha, and I don't condone it due to the health risks, but I'll have to concur with frustrated's comment. First the cartoons, now this. Psychos.

frustrated | 14 years ago | Reply WTF? seriously? what are they banning next? hanging out with friends??

Kamran | 14 years ago | Reply taxing it wouldnt make any difference..nobody in Pakistan pays tax. and whoever wants to smoke sheehsa, would smoke even if its taxed or black marketed. people still smoke cigarettes although the prices hike every year. unless and until there is law and order in the country, nothing will work. smoking is banned in public places in many countries, and yes its enforced and smokers are fined if they dont abide the rule

I heart Naeem | 14 years ago | Reply I would like to see the results of these so-called "studies" and information as to who is conducting them; even though I find it very hard to believe that something like this actually happens, it goes against business acumen. I mean lets face it, drugs arent cheap are they? Why would these cafes surreptiously slip drugs into the products if they can't charge their customers for them? A more likely scenario is the "youth" doing drugs on the side, or even asking the establishment for provision. It's easier to blame someone else if you don't want to tell your parents what you're doing away from home.

salman saif | 14 years ago | Reply before baning sheesha they should first ban wines and bears for themselves.. sheesha is a minor thing as compare to wine,,,,,

Naeem | 14 years ago | Reply This is so stupid. Why not ban corruption, human rights violations and morons first?

noor | 14 years ago | Reply Here we go again, 10pm shaadi hall closure, 1 dish, saasti roti, now SHEESHA.. IDIOTS TAX your agriculturists and then we will accept this nonsense...

Post Human | 14 years ago | Reply rubbish plan. inane, useless, stupid rubbish plan! bans don't eliminate anything - they merely create a black market. we're so fond of banning things here. Tax it instead (and enforce it). Tax the use of unhealthy products, and use the proceeds to run public awareness campaigns and provide healthcare to those affected by their use. This will, over time, diminish the demand for the product. That's the way to properly deal with such things. To improve health standards, you need to have a long term view, and diminish demand. Curtailing supply has never worked in the past, and will never work in future (chiefly due to the human trait of desiring the forbidden).

samaha | 14 years ago | Reply excellent !! i hope it is implemented properly cuz this sheesha thing is getting way out of hands and nearly every youngster one comes across has had it and its highly unhealthy !! hope it get implemented across the nation..

Yousaf | 14 years ago | Reply ban the underground parties.... sheesha is nothing comparing to drugs.

Abid | 14 years ago | Reply Ah some good news finally... Go for it..! Ban it permanently countrywide!

Hashim | 14 years ago | Reply haha, this can never happen

User | 14 years ago | Reply Good Going!!

ARF | 14 years ago | Reply Well done - this should be applied to the entire country and the ban should be checked and stay in place.

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