ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Monday recommended setting up of drug rehabilitation centres at district level as well as in every prison across the country aimed to ensure speedy treatment of drug addicts.
The meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Narcotics Control, which met with MNA Salahuddin Ayubi in the chair expressed concern over the increase in the number of drug addicts and asked the Ministry of Narcotics Control to take effective preventive measures to stop the supply of drugs to protect the young generation from the menace of drug.
Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Brigadier Ijaz Shah (retired) said that the consecutive governments have not given priority to narcotics control. This is a very powerful committee, therefore, it needs to support the ministry and the anti-narcotics force (ANF) to control spread of the menace of drugs, he said, adding that the parliamentary body needs to support the amendment of Control of Narcotic Substances (CNS) Act.
He said that the anti-narcotics law passed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has barred the ANF to operate in the province, which resulted in pendency of more than 500 narcotics cases.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through an Act eliminated the role of the ANF in the province,” he said.
The minister asked the committee to recommend to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to amend its law in order to allow the ANF for operating in the province.
He further said that the total operational strength of the ANF is over 3,600 but he was still not in favour of increase in strength, and support increasing technical strength of the ANF.
He also said that the government of Punjab has also proposed its own CNS Act but they deferred it following his request.
The minister said that the Sindh government has also passed its own CNS Act but they did not bar the ANF from operating in the province.
A senior official of the ANF told the committee that the ANF has challenged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa act in the Supreme Court and we hoped that the apex court will decide the case in our favour but it will take more time.
MNA Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur said that instead of increase in the strength of the ANF, we need to equip them with modern technology.
Technology is playing a vital role in the control of crime, he said.
He said that serious efforts should be made for setting up of more rehabilitation centres in the country.
Syed Kaleem Imam, Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control said that all those who are drug addicts should be treated as patients; they are not criminals.
He also suggested the construction of rehabilitation centres at district level as well as in all prisons.
“According to a survey conducted in 2012 there were over eight million drug addicts in the country and over two million addicts want treatment but due to absence of rehabilitation centres in the country their treatment was not possible,” he said.
He said that there are only four government-run drug rehabilitation centres in the country.
Out of the four, one is in Islamabad, and three are in Sindh province, he said, adding that there is no rehabilitation centre in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The secretary apprised the committee that as per existing strength of the ANF it is almost impossible for them to stop the spread of narcotics substances across the country; however, a summary has been moved for recruitment of 10,000 additional force in order to overcome the challenges regarding the frequent increase of drug abuse.
The committee asked the ANF to present the complete record of the property confiscated by the ANF from drug dealers along with their present value and criminal charges against each individual before the committee.
MNA Muhammad Ameer Sultan, Wajiha Qamar, Uzma Riaz, Nusrat Wahid, Andleeb Abbas, Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali Bhinder, Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Shahida Akhter Ali, Mohsin Dawar, Uzma Riaz, and senior officials of the Ministry of Narcotics Control attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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