May 07, 2007	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1428

MUZAFFARABAD, May 6: An official order aimed at checking alleged immoral activities and misuse of the internet facility in ‘cafes’ is being grossly ignored but the local administration seems to be least bothered, it has been observed.

The additional deputy commissioner (general), Zafar Mahmud Khan, had invoked Section 144 of the Cr PC on April 11, banning construction of new cabins in internet cafes and calling for removal of existing ones or keeping their doors open so that receptionists could keep a watch on the movements of clients.

The order was issued after the attention of the administration was drawn to the problem in mid-March by SSP Dr Liaquat Ali who had pointed out that the cabins were promoting to unethical activities in internet cafes and therefore, needed to be removed.

In February, police on a tip-off had caught a girl and three youths in objectionable condition in one of the cabins of an internet cafe. There were also complaints that juveniles would watch erotic or pornographic CDs in the cabins.

However, a visit by this correspondent to different internet cafes revealed that none implemented the administration's order although it had warned the violators of strict action under section 188 of the Cr PC.

Cabins, higher than the normal human height, were intact in all cafes with closed doors, in open violation of the order.

Almost all owners or their employees rather expressed ignorance about the order and said that no official had visited them to find out if it was being enforced.

"No, there has not been any visit by any official for the implementation of the order you are telling me about," one of them confided to this correspondent.