ISLAMABAD:The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a report from the federal government on import of ingredients used in Shisha and the steps being taken against Shisha smoking.
The court told the government to make arrangements to educate people about the hazards of smoking Shisha and other intoxicants. “Harmful effects of Shisha smoking on health should be advertised through print and electronic media, pamphlets, hoardings and public meetings,” the court ruled.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmad and Justice Umar Ata Bandial resumed hearing of a suo motu case against tobacco use in Pakistan Deputy Attorney General Sohail Mehmood informed the court that 181 raids were conducted on cafes and restaurants offering Shisha to their customers in the Islamabad Capital Territory in 2013 and Rs 0.27 million fine was imposed on them. In 2014-15, 108 raids were conducted and Rs 1.4 million fine was imposed on various cafes and restaurants. He said that 72 public places were declared smoke-free and 452 people involved in traffic violation by smoking were challaned.
Mehmood said the chief commissioner had shown satisfaction with the steps taken by the government against smoking. He asked the court to give the government some time for submission of the report on import of the ingredients being used in Shisha.
Earlier, law officers from Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan informed the court that the cabinet had approved a bill to curb Shisha smoking and the provincial assemblies would soon pass this bill. The additional advocate general of Balochistan told the court that factories producing crushed tobacco had been ousted from the city.
The law officer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) informed the court that the provincial assembly had passed the bill for prevention of Shisha smoking. He said that rules were being framed in this regard.
The court observed that filing the report was not the remedy; some practical steps should be taken by the governments to discourage Shisha smoking. The court adjourned the hearing for four weeks.