ISLAMABAD:
The federal government’s failure to finalise regulations governing sheesha cafés despite repeated revisions and extensions has prompted the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to intervene, directing officials to complete the regulatory framework without unnecessary delay.
In its detailed written judgment, Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar observed that the Sheesha Rules 2023 had not been finalised despite the passage of considerable time.
The draft regulations had repeatedly been returned to the relevant ministry for revision by the Cabinet Committee for Legislative Cases.
The court noted that proceedings had been initiated because the regulatory framework remained incomplete despite repeated extensions and assurances given to it.
Observing that no specific rules and regulations governing sheesha cafés were currently in place, the IHC directed the relevant authorities to finalise the framework without unnecessary delay.
The court ruled that all sheesha cafés in Islamabad would remain closed until the regulations were framed, including establishments holding existing no-objection certificates (NOCs).
It ordered that previously issued certificates be treated as withdrawn.
The chief commissioner, deputy commissioner and Islamabad inspector general of police were directed to ensure implementation of the order.
The court also noted that an IHC order issued in 2022 concerning sheesha cafés had not been implemented. The Supreme Court had also issued directions to all provinces regarding sheesha cafés in a suo motu case in 2016.
Incorporating World Health Organisation guidelines into its judgment, the court observed that sheesha smoking exposes users to nicotine, carbon monoxide and other toxic substances that can cause cancer.
It further noted that tobacco smoke poses serious health risks to children and other vulnerable people in surrounding areas. Citing WHO reports, the judgment said sheesha smoking should be prohibited in enclosed public places and shopping malls, adding that passing smoke through water does not eliminate its toxic substances.
