Islamabad’s district administration has imposed a complete ban on the operation of sheesha cafes in the federal capital following directions from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon announced the ban on Wednesday, saying that the administration was immediately implementing the IHC’s order. The restriction applies to all sheesha cafes, including establishments operating with No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) as well as outdoor and indoor cafes.
Memon said that cafes found violating the order would be sealed and cases would be registered against their owners. He added that assistant commissioners will conduct daily inspections to ensure compliance.
The announcement followed an IHC hearing in which Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar said that sheesha cafes could not continue operating without a proper regulatory framework. The court gave the district administration one month to formulate comprehensive rules and regulations for their operation.
The chief justice passed the remarks while hearing petitions concerning several sheesha cafes in Islamabad and action taken against establishments that had allegedly been operating in violation of NOCs issued under an interim arrangement.
Memon and Islamabad Inspector General (IG) of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi appeared before the court in their personal capacities. Islamabad Advocate General Naveed Hayat Malik and acting Prosecutor General Manzoor Ahmed Jajja also attended the hearing.
During the proceedings, Dogar said that the court respected the business interests of cafe owners but could not allow the entire city to be affected in the name of business. Referring to health implications, he said, “Tomorrow, your brother or someone from your family could become a victim.”
The chief justice also questioned how sheesha was being served and observed that mixing hashish with tobacco would amount to smoking. He said that such activities were taking place openly and warned that the younger generation was being pushed towards destruction.
Rizvi told the court that police had taken strict action against sheesha cafes following earlier court directives and registered cases against some establishments. He said that police teams had faced resistance from cafe owners during raids and that children aged 14 and 15 had also been found at some cafes.
The IG also told the court that an awareness campaign on the harmful effects and regulation of sheesha cafes had been launched.
Jajja told the court that people aged 18 or below were among those involved in selling sheesha. He proposed that the Ministry of Health and the federal government should be directed to formulate proper rules, saying the issue required a comprehensive response.
The chief justice said that sheesha cafes could not operate in their existing form without rules and regulations, observing, “There are no rules and regulations.”
The written response submitted by the chief commissioner and district administration said that NOCs for sheesha cafes were being issued under an interim arrangement while the federal government awaited approval of regular legislation. The administration said that the NOCs had been issued without any fee.
Under the existing arrangement, sheesha could only be served in an open, unroofed area, while a separate written “terrace permit” from the relevant assistant commissioner was required for serving it at an open-air location.
The administration also said it launched a crackdown against sheesha cafes in Islamabad in 2021, citing unsafe storage of coal and related equipment as a fire hazard. It said that fire prevention and safety measures had been made mandatory for restaurants and inspection teams had been directed to check the validity and safety of fire extinguishers.
The administration maintained that sheesha and other tobacco products could only be served to adults and that environmental standards had to be maintained. It also stressed the need to implement international and legal regulations to protect citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke.
The IHC said that the existing court-approved arrangement would remain in force until the federal government framed regular rules. Dogar directed the district administration to formulate the required rules within one month before adjourning the hearing.
