Slug: ihc-orders-sheesha-cafes-closed-islamabad
Category: National
Focus keyphrase: sheesha cafes closed Islamabad IHC order
SEO title: IHC Orders All Sheesha Cafés in Islamabad Closed
Meta description: The Islamabad High Court has ordered every sheesha café in the capital shut until the Sheesha Rules 2023 are finalised, withdrawing all existing NOCs.
Tags: sheesha cafes, Islamabad High Court, Sheesha Rules 2023, tobacco, WHO, public health, Islamabad, NOC
Original element: explainer context — the judgment sits on a decade of unfinished regulation: a 2016 Supreme Court suo motu direction to all provinces and an unimplemented 2022 IHC order, both cited in the verdict, explain why the court has now closed every café rather than issuing another deadline.
IHC Orders All Sheesha Cafés in Islamabad Closed
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered all sheesha cafés in the federal capital to remain closed until the long-delayed Sheesha Rules 2023 are finalised — including establishments that already hold no-objection certificates.
In a detailed written judgment, Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar observed that the Sheesha Rules 2023 had not been finalised despite the passage of considerable time. The draft regulations had repeatedly been returned to the relevant ministry for revision by the Cabinet Committee for Legislative Cases.
The court noted that proceedings had been initiated because the regulatory framework remained incomplete despite repeated extensions and assurances given to it. Observing that no specific rules governing sheesha cafés were currently in place, the court directed the authorities to finalise the framework without unnecessary delay.
The ruling treats all previously issued NOCs as withdrawn. The chief commissioner, the deputy commissioner and the Islamabad inspector general of police were directed to ensure the order is implemented.
A decade of unfinished regulation
The judgment is the latest chapter in a long-running regulatory failure. The court noted that an IHC order issued in 2022 concerning sheesha cafés had never been implemented. Before that, the Supreme Court had issued directions to all provinces regarding sheesha cafés in a suo motu case back in 2016.
This history explains the court’s approach: rather than granting the government another extension, it has shut the entire trade down until the rules exist. The federal government’s failure to finalise regulations despite repeated revisions is what forced the court’s hand.
The pattern will be familiar to readers of recent regulatory drives in the capital region. Earlier this month, Punjab banned the sale of camera-enabled smart glasses for 30 days through a Section 144 order — another case of the state reaching for blunt instruments when a proper regulatory framework is missing.
Health grounds
Incorporating World Health Organisation guidelines into the judgment, the court observed that sheesha smoking exposes users to nicotine, carbon monoxide and other toxic substances that can cause cancer.
The court further noted that tobacco smoke poses serious health risks to children and other vulnerable people in surrounding areas. Citing WHO reports, the judgment said sheesha smoking should be prohibited in enclosed public places and shopping malls, adding that passing smoke through water does not eliminate its toxic substances — a common misconception among users.
Frequently asked questions
Are all sheesha cafés in Islamabad closed now?
Yes. The IHC has ordered every sheesha café in the capital to remain shut until the Sheesha Rules 2023 are finalised, including those holding existing NOCs, which the court has treated as withdrawn.
Why did the court take this step?
The federal government failed to finalise the Sheesha Rules 2023 despite repeated revisions, extensions and assurances. The court noted that even a 2022 IHC order on the subject was never implemented.
What health risks did the court cite?
Drawing on WHO guidelines, the judgment noted that sheesha exposes users to nicotine, carbon monoxide and cancer-causing substances, and that water filtration does not remove the toxins. It said sheesha should be prohibited in enclosed public places.
*Source: The Express Tribune, October 22, 2026*
