New bill proposes sentence of up to six years in prison for chewing gutka

KARACHI: Chewing of gutka (a kind of tobacco) can lead to imprisonment of one to six years in jail, according to a newly proposed bill in the Sindh Assembly on Saturday.

According to the bill, selling and buying of chewing tobacco or gutka at public places should be banned. This includes schools, colleges, hospitals and other places.

It further proposed that a fine of Rs500,000 should be imposed on violators. 

Sindh MPA and Pakistan People’s Party leader Saeed Ghani said that there is a ban on gutka already but the bill is being proposed as implementation is not carried out

In October 2016, the Sindh cabinet imposed a ban on sheesha smoking, consumption of gutka and mainpuri.