Petition seeks action against Sheesha raids

LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday summoned Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Aslam Tareen for April 11 on a petition by two cafes’ owners for stopping them from offering Sheesha.
Earlier, Model Town SP appeared before the court of Justice Iftikhar Hussain and said Sheesha cafes were hub of narcotics and immoral activities. He said police had received many complaints against these cafes. After hearing the SP, the court summoned CCPO on next date of hearing.
Danial Arif and Muhammad Arif Saleem, owners of cafes around the city, filed the petition. Their counsel submitted that on March 17, 2011 some police officials under the leadership of SHO Liberty Market, under instructions of CCPO Lahore forcibly entered Daniyal’s Sheikhoo’s Cafe at MM Alam Road and Muhammad Arif Saleem’s Cafe Life, at Saeed Ahmad Block and stopped them from serving Sheesha. When they asked them for any notification or letter from the government, they informed that they were conducting the raid under the directions of the CCPO who had through his various wireless messages had conveyed to all officers concerned, to conduct such raids over the all the cafes in Lahore serving Sheeshas. They confiscated two Shishas from Sheikhoo’s Cafe and four from Cafe Life.
The counsel said that police authorities’ acts were without legal authority and were therefore liable to be set aside. He said policemen blackmailed them to close their legitimate businesses. He said his clients were not liable for any criminal action as they were running their business under Article 18 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees every citizen to conduct any lawful trade or business freely without any illegal and unlawful interference. He said these illegal raids have has resulted in a loss of their reputation amongst the business circle.
The petitioners prayed the court to declare the police raids at their cafes as illegal and the Punjab inspector general of police be directed to refraining from initiating any illegal acts against them.