one estimate, one out of every 10 college/university student is a substance abuser. In Karachi a private university was found to have 20 out of 30 students using cannabis. Drug abuse is common among students living in hostels.
Moreover, drug abuse leads people into criminal activities. It is not easy for drug addicts to continue their drug habit on a regular basis due to poverty and thus, they resort to property crimes such as burglary to fulfil their need to use illegal substances. Apart from criminal activities, the use of drugs not only leads to diseases such as hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and AIDs but also death. Around 700 drug-related deaths occur every day in Pakistan.
Drugs are easy available in every province and are being sold fearlessly and with impunity. Police do not carry out their duties regarding drug sale and use sincerely; drug peddlers either grease the palm of police officers or are backed by influential locals. On January 28, 2014, a sub-inspector, who was on patrol at night, caught six people red-handed possessing 500 grams of charas in their car in Rawalpindi. In spite of the fact that they were caught red-handed, the sub-inspector let the accused free and gave the narcotics back to them after taking a bribe.
In 2009, a DSP was suspended by the IGP as a favour to drug business owners. Being a small force, the Anti-Narcotics Force does not have the capability to eradicate the drug problem completely, without the support of the police and other law-enforcement agencies. Most importantly, the top priority of the government should be to protect the long Pak-Afghan border and coastal areas of Pakistan so that neither should drugs from Afghanistan be brought to Pakistan nor should they be smuggled to other countries from Pakistan; recently, the Indian navy and coastguard intercepted a Pakistani fishing boat in the Arabian Sea and found 200 kilograms heroin from their possession.
Recently, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) launched a five-month drug prevention campaign in nine cities of Sindh to create awareness regarding drug abuse and its effect on individuals, families and societies. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan badly need such steps as both of the provinces share porous borders with Afghanistan.
The writer is a Turbat-based freelance contributor.
Email: Monis.ali.balochgmail.com