Sheesha growing crime in twin cities

RAWALPINDI: The mushroom growth of Sheesha centres in all the High fi restuarants of Rawalpindi and Islamabad is another nuisance and are minting money because they offer sheesha with fantsy flavours thus attracting more and more clients. The sad part is even young girls are getting ammused and thinking it is not harmful enjoy the sootas.

Talking to APP, Dr Shahnaz Hameed General Secretary Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) said studies show that Sheesha has been proved to be 200 times more dangerous than ordinary cigarette smoking.

Media could play an important role. She lamented that every channel displays dramas in which the boys and girls are smoking and drinking freely. They make it very stylish too. They can easily omit the smoking part even then I am sure the dramas will hit a lot but no efforts are being made at all at any level. The censor board does not seem to bother too.

The average death age in Pakistan is 50 ,which is much less than the global figures. We cannot see our people die at an early age when they are most required by their country and family. The worst part is that the law makers and the law implementators themselves smoke, so how can they truly stop any one else. She added that the Association is trying to open a helpline soon to help smokers save their lives and quit this bad killing habit forever.

Unfortunately there are no helplines or proper centres to help quit smoking. There is no law implementation (under 18 years strictly prohibited ). People usually start at an early age as young as 6-10 in Pakistan, later it develops as a habit and is difficult to get rid of it.

I found out that the parents under the misconception thinking it is not harmful, offer the pipe to even small toddlers as young as 3 years of age. What a pity on this country ? No one can have a check on it because all these restaurants are owned by powerful bigwigs who have hold in the ministry who becomes paralyzed when it comes to banning all these by strict law.

Moreover, the same pipe of sheesha is being used by all the people on the same table they could easily transfer diseases like hepatitis, HIV and other bacteria and viruses to each other.