400 hookah shops closed in Herat

HERAT CITY (PAN): Police have closed down nearly 400 coffee and hookah shops in western Herat province, an official said on Wednesday.

The shops were shut on the basis of public complaints, the provincial police chief, Col. Abdul Hameed Hamidi, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Illegal gunmen had been harassing the dwellers of Herat City, the provincial capital, he said, adding 300 such individuals had been arrested in the past one week.

Jamshid, the owner of a hubble-bubble shop, said: “Police smashed many of my hookahs that earned me a lot of money. Now I’m forced to sell tea, but can’t earn enough money to meet my needs.”

Shah Wali, a resident of Pashto. This encourages youth to use other drugs.”

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