L ahore: The owners and workers of several sheesha cafes have staged protest against the city government’s crackdown on smoking in Gulberg.
Hundreds of workers, most employed at sheesha cafes on The Mall, gathered at Liberty Chowk and then marched to Hussain Chowk on Tuesday.
They said the government’s campaign was unfair and would drive them out of business. They said that thousands of people depended on sheesha cafes for their livelihoods. The protest was organised by the Restaurant and Café Association of Punjab.
When announcing the campaign last month, the DCO had said that the city government’s campaign was aimed at enforcing the ban on smoking of all forms of tobacco in public places, including restaurants and bus stations, but so far only sheesha cafes have been raided.
