SCCI & ANF agree on anti-narcotics initiatives

PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) have agreed to take joint steps for elimination of narcotics and rehabilitation of addicts to make them productive citizens of the society.

The understanding was reached at a meeting between SCCI President Fuad Ishaq and ANF Regional Directorate Commander Brig Mazhar Hussain, said in a press release here on Wednesday. The ANF Joint Director Col Ihsanullah and Inspector Chemical In charge Qaiser Rasool were present.

The SCCI president said the chamber and ANF would make contacts with philanthropists for engaging drug addicts in healthy activities and getting rid them of drug addiction and thus help uproot the drug menace from the society.

Both sides discussed cases of drug smuggling cases and recovery of drugs in luggage of those traveling abroad. The illegal sale of the banned chemicals, use in chemical factories and other matters came under discussion as well.

Fuad Ishaq told the meeting that chemical use in different factories were used in drug related materials, adding the SCCI and ANF will have to work jointly for its eradication.It was agreed that the ANF would prepare a list of various factories under which data of chemicals being used by them would be gathered and the SCCI would provide assistance in this regard.

The list which would be provided by the ANF would be disseminated to the SCCI members, particularly the industrialists, and awareness would be raised among them in this regard.Fuad Ishaq presented a proposal for rehabilitation of drug-addicts under a policy of ‘adopt a brother’ and ‘adopt a sister’.

By signing a memorandum of understanding, he said, the SCCI in collaboration with non-governmental organisations and social welfare institutions would take initiatives for making the drug addicts productive citizens of the society.