Terming the prevalence of drugs and other narcotic substances in society as a major source of concern, President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday told governors to lead the charge against them on campuses of higher education institutions - of which they are chancellors.
He said this while chairing a high-level meeting at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday to deliberate on the challenge of drugs and narcotics on campuses.
The meeting was first briefed by the Ministry of Narcotics Control about the prevalence of drugs in the country, particularly in educational institutions and its adverse impacts on the young generation. The ministry went on to highlight measures taken for the prevention of drugs in the country.
Dr Alvi said the prevalence of drugs in the society was worrisome and underscored the need for urgent and effective measures at all levels to counter it.
He stressed upon governors, who represent him in the provinces and are also the chancellors of public sector universities, to take a leading role in addressing the alarming challenge of drug addiction among students to save the young generation from this menace. The president also urged the Ulema and the media to play their due role in creating awareness about the impacts of drug addiction.
The meeting emphasized the need for coordinated efforts by the federal and provincial governments and the concerned law enforcement agencies such as the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to tackle this menace.
It also underscored the need to further strengthen the existing anti-narcotics laws with consensus from the federal and provincial governments.
In this regard, it was decided to convene a meeting of all vice-chancellors of the country to devise a strategy to purge educational institutions of all social evils and vices, particularly drug abuse.
The provincial governors and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Masood Khan apprised the meeting about the challenge of drug abuse and suggested measures to eradicate it.
The meeting was attended by AJK President Masood, Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Senator Azam Khan Swati, Minister of State for Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi, all provincial governors along with the Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Raja Jalal Maqpoon, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and ANF Director General Maj Gen Arif Malik.
PM briefed on drug centre
Separately, Narcotics Control Minister Azam Swati called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in the federal capital on Thursday to discuss matters relating to the establishment of a treatment centre for drug addicts in Islamabad.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2020.
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