Staff Reporter
Rawalpindi: A large number of Sheesha centres are functional in several areas of police station Rawat and Lohi Bher, sources have disclosed to Daily The Patriot. The city district administration and police are reluctant to take action against the business that has been banned by the government. Sheesha is a charming hookah with flavoured tobacco. A World Health Organization report has declared that smoking Sheesha is 200 times lethal than smoking a cigarette. Smoking Sheesha is likely to lead the youngsters of the city to narcotics and drugs. According to sources, the illegal Sheesha bars have been running in several areas of Rawat and Lohi Bher but police and district government are yet to take action against them. They said that youngsters, mostly the students of colleges and universities, have been smoking Sheesha in the bars. They alleged that owners of the Sheesha bars have been allegedly heavily bribing the police and officials of the district government to avoid raid or arrest. Sources further revealed that the Sheesha centers apart from providing the banned Sheesha have also allegedly become a hub of other criminal activities that include gambling and consumption of drugs. Residents that live close to such Sheesha centers have also complained against these Sheesha centers on multiple occasions as loud music and late night activity around such centers have made life difficult for them. It is pertinent to mention that the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) ordered all provincial governments to launch a crackdown against sheesha cafes last year in November. The apex court in its order had said that a number of such cafes were also selling drugs, but provincial administrations had shown their unwillingness to take action against them. The court had directed all the provincial governments to take strict action on the implementation of anti-smoking laws and asked to submit a comprehensive report in the court after action against sheesha cafes.
