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Published 05 Nov, 2015 03:47pm

SC seeks report on implementation of Sheesha ban in country

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday has sought report from the federal and provincial governments regarding the implementation of Sheesha ban across the country.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali resumed the hearing of the suo motu notice taken over the implementation of the ban on Sheesha smoking and sought details from the federal and provincial AGs in this regard until the next hearing of the case which was adjourned indefinitely.

The bench also sought a report regarding the ban on sale of cigarettes to children under the age of 18 years.

During today's hearing, Advocate General for Sindh Abdul Fatah Malik informed the court that the ban on Sheesha smoking at public places was being implemented in the province since 2011, but a few cases had recently been registered against violators of the ban.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa AG maintained that the ban on Sheesha had been implemented across the province.

The Punjab AG said the Punjab Assembly had yet to pass a bill banning Sheesha consumption, and that once it was passed, the ban would be implemented.

The SC took notice that the bill had been lying with the Punjab Assembly for over a year and has not been passed, and ordered speedy implementation of the ban but did not give a deadline for the implementation.

The Punjab Assembly in March last year introduced "The Punjab Prohibition of Sheesha Smoking Bill 2014", but the bill has not been passed into law yet.

Also read: Pakistan among top four countries with rising tobacco use

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