Authorities have banned the use of hookah, or hubble-bubble, in the Pakistani capital saying that besides being a serious health hazard they were spoiling the younger generation.
A way of relaxation, either individually or in company down the ages across South Asia and the Middle East, the hookah, known as 'sheesha' in Arabic, is now popular in all major hotels and motels in Pakistan, The Daily Times said.A hookah is a smoking contraption, the smoke being inhaled through a container of water. Besides tobacco, chemicals with flavour of different flowers are used for smoking. Some add illegal drugs.
The Pakistani ban order was issued Wednesday covering the areas of Murree, the hill resort close to the national capital.
The newspaper quoted an official as saying: "Some restaurants are offering sheesha to young girls and boys. These youths appear to have taken to sheesha as a fad without knowing its consequences.
"Today, we see restaurants full of smoke with dim light and loud music, cropping up not only in Islamabad but also in other major cities of Pakistan.
"Many people believe that sheesha is neither prohibited by law nor is it injurious to health. We hope the ban in Islamabad would be followed in other parts of Pakistan too," the official said.
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