Sindh Governor for multi-pronged strategy against drug abuse

KARACHI, July 19 (APP): Governor of Sindh, Muhammad Zubair here
on Wednesday sought a multi-pronged strategy to protect youth against the menace of drug abuse in the country.
In a meeting with the Director General of Anti Narcotics Force
(ANF), Maj Gen, Mussarat Nawaz Malik, he said elements involved in the
narcotics business must be strictly dealt with and be taken to task
for the sake of a safe and healthy future of the country.
“The menace has already inflicted a sizable number of our
population, including the youth, demanding urgent and fool proof
measures to combat it,” said the Sindh Governor.
He regretted that youth hooked to drug addiction can be
registered to hold no future and that equal attention was needed for
the meaningful rehabilitation of people willing to lead a healthy and
quality life.
“We have to join hands for developing a healthy environment for
our youth in particular and people in general to help them avoid the
addiction trap,” he said.
The ANF chief informed the Governor that the agency was not only
engaged in an active operation against the drug sellers and narco
barons but has also initiated series of schemes for rehabilitation of
the addicts.
He particularly referred to a treatment centre established in
Lyari by ANF for the addicts, pertaining to different age groups and
varied social back grounds.
ANF chief said many of the people have been successfully treated
and were also duly assisted to resume normal healthy lives.
Mentioning that high school, college and university students have
emerged to be soft targets for those involved in narcotics business,
he said a fool proof as well as an efficient strategy was needed to
counter them.
Maj Gen. Mussarat Nawaz Malik said close coordination among
parents, teachers and government agencies working against the
menace, alongwith other sections of society, was urgently needed to
protect the youth.
He said significant achievement has been made against the drug
peddlers and all those involved in the business, in one or the other
manner.
“It was during recent past that drugs and narcotics substance
worth billions of rupees was retrieved and those associated with the
business were apprehended,” he said.
Governor of Sindh assured him of all needed support with special
reference to raising public awareness about the threat and as how to
counter it.