ISLAMABAD - Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) is likely to start an awareness drive among the masses to discourage smoking at the public places and has directed the restaurant owners not to allow under 18 youth to smoke in the first phase of its anti-smoking campaign Youth under 18 will not be allowed to smoke and similarly the shopkeepers is being directed not sell cigarettes to them, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Amer Ali Ahmed said while talking to The Nation. He said that the Administration had no aim to harass any citizen through this campaign and only three teams headed by the magistrates and accompanied by Station House Officers (SHOs) and Sub-Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs) would conduct visits of public places, hotels , restaurants and ensure implementation of anti-smoking laws through education during 1st phase. The Deputy Commissioner Islamabad said that ICT Administration with co-operation of Ministry of Health, Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industries, trader community, police and Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) would shortly launch this campaign. He further said that the awareness would be created amongst the general public as well as other stakeholders, shopkeepers, restaurants owners to avoid and discourage smoking at the public places. Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Amer Ali Ahmed Tuesday held an important meeting with the office-bearers of Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industries, trader community in his office. Officials of Ministry of Health, SSP Islamabad Tahir Alam Khan, SSP Traffic Police Islamabad, Dr Moeen Masood and other officials of administration attended the meeting. The meeting discussed various ways and means to implement the anti-smoking law in the capital. It was decided in the meeting that ICT Administration with the co-operation of all stakeholders would jointly launch an awareness drive during the 1st phase through which smoking at public places as well as in public service vehicles would be discouraged and the people would be educated to avoid smoking at public places. Addressing the participants, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Amer Ali Ahmed said that shisha smoking at restaurants would also be discouraged and a meeting with the restaurants owners was also being arranged very shortly and they would be given time to remove shisha smoking corners and ensure smoke free environment in the restaurants. The officials of Ministry of Health will provide literature, banners and posters relating to anti-smoking drive at public places to administration and traffic police, which would be affixed and distributed among the masses. The ICT Administration has also appealed to the people to avoid smoking at public places and requested the parents keep their children away from this addiction.