PESHAWAR – Ever rising unemployment, political unrest and inflation are exacerbating the drug addiction situation in Peshawar and the government is least interested, a survey by Pakistan Today revealed.
Not only inflation, the masses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are subject to various social evils such as abductions, drones, bomb blasts and intense poverty and as much as 5000 residents of the city, including teenagers, use drugs to find an escape from reality, the survey showed.
Teenagers from surrounding areas also come to Peshawar to buy drugs because of their easy availability in the city, a drug addict Gul Zamin told Pakistan Today. “Drugs have ruined my life and I want to stop but it is complicated,” he added. “There is nothing left. I am robbing my children of their bread because of my addiction,” said Sahib Dad.
He was a respected truck driver but had gotten into drug usage because of bad company and had lost his job. “My parents threw me out of the house because of my addiction,” said Shukat, who had come from Buneer, adding “the police is doing nothing to control the drug dealers and is happy catching us, who depend on the drugs to live.”
“I want out,” said Javaid Khan, whose relative got him into the habit of using drugs. “The government needs to take this issue seriously,” said Jamil Ahmad adding “Even if the dealers are influential they need to be stopped. They are playing with people’s lives.”
