LAHORE – Under new anti-narcotic policy government has geared up the process to make Lahore a model drug free city within three years. This was told to Pakistan Today by Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Deputy Director (DD) Altaf Qamar.
“Under the plan, drug free ward would be established in every hospital in Punjab”, says Qamar. In first phase, 10 hospitals would be equipped with the facility on February 28. He added that government would also conduct seminar to create awareness amongst the students at educational institutions and prisoners in Jails. “Local NGOs will also be taken on board in this regard,” ANF DD said.
On a question, he said that more than 9 million people were using narcotics across the country whereas over 0.6 million persons were increasing every year. “Following special directives by Prime Minister Syed Yosuf Raza Gillani the provincial capital will be made a drug free city within three years,” he maintained. He said that drug use is increasing among young generation especially girls.
“Awareness programs will be started during this span of time and every section of society will be convinced to participate in this noble cause,” he added. Altaf Qamar said that the new anti-narcotics policy would cleanse country of drugs and this undertaking would continue nationwide at schools, offices, homes and jails. “The first step is to eliminate home-grown poppies and control their trafficking from Afghanistan”, he said.
“Under the new policy”, he held, “the authorities would offer tribal area poppy growers seeds for alternative crops and cash as reward on condition of giving up poppy cultivation”. The second phase of the policy would focus on reducing the demand of drugs by educating masses about hazards of drug use. He said that another important aspect of the policy would be collaboration with other countries affected by drugs both in terms of trafficking and abuse.
He said that government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UN Office and 28 different countries on Drugs and Crime.
Though almost same measres had been taken in the past unfotunately, no positive results have yet been seen. The number of addicts are on the increase day by day. students and people from low socioeconomic group are more vulnerable to addiction.
the goverinment should have to establish more hospitals in different cities of pakistan to finish drug addiction……..
we have 2 bcome free from narcotics, bcoz by this way our mother land pakistan will make progress in many fields. and 1 day pakistan will become number 1 country in the world……………!
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