Punjab launching crackdown on Sheesha centres, SC told

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government assured the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday that in compliance with its orders, a crackdown was being launched against the Sheesha centres in the province.
In its interim report submitted before the court by Additional Advocate General Punjab Razzaq A Mirza, it assured the apex court that its orders will be implemented in letter and spirit.
The court was informed that all the district coordination officers (DCOs) in the province had been issued directives for launching a crackdown against the Sheesha centres, adding that soon all the centres will be closed. The report added that during the current year, cases had been registered against 19 Sheesha centres. The court was further informed that the provincial government had taken action against 134 owners of Sheesha centres.
On November 5, a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, while hearing a suo moto case against illegal Sheesha cafes in the country, had directed all the provincial governments to launch a massive crackdown on Sheesha cafes and submit a comprehensive report on measures taken for prevention of Sheesha smoking.
During the hearing, the federal government informed the court of having sealed and imposed fine on 19 cafes and shops in the capital serving Sheesha and selling cigarette packs without a warning picture. The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), while submitting its report, had informed the apex court that it had sealed and imposed fines of Rs50,000 on cafes and shops serving Sheesha and selling cigarette packs without warning pictures.