Revealing that there are over seven million drug addicts in the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday announced that his government would devise a strategy to check drug abuse among the youth.
“Anti-Narcotics Force and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) alone cannot curb use of narcotics and corruption, therefore the whole nation and the government will have to make collective efforts to fight the menace,” the prime minister said while addressing an event held at the ANF headquarters in Chaklala, Rawalpindi.
“Seven million drug addicts in the country in fact means suffering and misery of the same number of families,” he added. Terming corruption and narcotics “cancer of society”, he said the government would devise a strategy to check drug abuse among the youth and save the future generations.
PM Khan said the relevant ministries, including education and health, would be taken on board to chalk out the policy in view of the growing trend of drug abuse at educational institutions. “I will call a meeting next week to discuss ways to address the challenge of narcotics on an urgent basis and the government will run an anti-drug campaign across the country and the entire nation will fight this menace as a united force.”
He stressed the need for raising awareness among the masses, particularly the youth, about the negative impacts of drugs in personal and social lives. Expressing concern over higher number of cases of drug addicts reported at schools and universities, he said: “We have to save our next generations from the shackles of drug abuse.”
The prime minister said the inspector general of Islamabad police had apprised him that the situation of use of drug ‘ice’ by students was alarming as it could leave a disastrous impact on their education and health. “We have to save our children and youth from ‘silent killer’ (ice),” he vowed.
Mr Khan said society had a significant role in promotion of negative trends by accepting earning of money through illegal ways and corruption. He said the government would enhance the flow of resources required to counter the menace of drug abuse in the country.
He lauded the ANF’s efforts to eradicate drug abuse, but said the efforts by an institution alone could not produce results unless put in by society itself as the biggest deterrent.
The minister for narcotics control and senior officials of the ANF attended the event. ANF director general Maj Gen Muhammad Arif Malik briefed the prime minister on the operations of his organisation to curb smuggling of narcotics across the country and said the steps were being taken to ensure a drug-free society.
Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated the new building of ANF headquarters and laid a wreath on the memorial of martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
