FAISALABAD: Zeeshan Haider, a college teacher, is worried about the presence of snooker clubs in the city, which, according to him, are affecting the academic performance of students. These clubs, which remain open till late night, are frequented by college students.

A law enforcement agency has also written to the city police officer for action against such points. The letter reads that snooker clubs remain open till 3am, where criminals spend time and commit crimes in the surrounding areas. Such clubs have increased the crime ratio in Peoples Colony, Gulberg, Harianwala Chowk, D Ground, Chenone Road and Dogar Basti.

These clubs are operating with the connivance of the police for police officials visit them occasionally.

Ahmed, an employee of a club, said they would bribe police officials to keep the business running round the clock. He claimed that he paid Rs500 weekly to the police and in return, he was allowed to operate the club till late night, and he would be informed in advance in case of any raid.

He said that people would often gamble there in the name of games and most of their players were private hostels’ residents. The Peoples Colony area has about 20 private hostels for students.

The letter by the law-enforcement agency also stated that clubs’ owners bribe police.

College teacher Haider said such clubs had mushroomed in the city in recent years. In daytime, the students who bunked classes would spend their time here. He said a number of times parents had been told to keep an eye on their children.

He said such clubs were also creating problems for those living around such spots.

A police officer said it was a fact that such clubs were causing street crimes. A number of times the police stations had been told to ensure the closure of clubs at 10pm but in vain.

He said they would ask the deputy commissioner to issue a direction under the section 144 of CrPc forcing the owners to operate their business from 2pm to 10pm and cases would also be registered against the violators.

About the allegations that police officials mint money from club owners, the police officer said the complaints needed investigation and those receiving bribe would be punished.

A club owner, Ahmed said that running a lawful business was the fundamental right of every citizen which could not be infringed upon by any authority.

He said clubs could be operated without any time limit because of the lack of regulations. He said one could see that most of the hotels, tea stalls and paan shops were open to the public for 24 hours.

He dispelled gambling complaints, saying the police could take action against the culprits instead of closing clubs at 10pm.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2018