CM launches 3rd phase of ‘Drug-Free Peshawar’ Programme

PESHAWAR: After the successful rehabilitation of 2,397 drug addicts, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Wednesday launched the third phase of the “Drug-Free Peshawar” Programme, under which 2,000 more drug addicts would be rehabilitated.

“Drug addiction is a curse and those involved in this heinous act, in its selling and supplying, will face severe consequences. I have directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police and other relevant authorities to go after drug dealers and drug traffickers and bring them to justice, no matter how influential they are,” the chief minister stated while addressing a seminar on drug addiction and its negative effects on health, held at the University of Peshawar.

He said he had personally reviewed the progress and data of the two previous phases, conducted for rehabilitation of the drug addicts and decided to extend it to its third phase.

Besides the lawmakers including Social Welfare Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Commissioner Peshawar Division Riaz Khan Mahsud, Capital City Police Officer Qasim Ali Khan and government officials, a number of students and vice chancellors of public sector universities attended the seminar.

“I must appreciate Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Khan Mahsud for his excellent work and successfully rehabilitating a large number of drugs in the previous two phases. I held a series of meetings with him and discussed how to get rid of drug addiction and that’s why I decided to launch the third phase,” Gandapur explained.

He said the provincial government had released Rs320 million for the third phase, in which drug addicts will be collected from all over the province and will be taken to the rehabilitation centres.

In the rehabilitation centres, the drug addicts would be taken care of and would receive quality treatment so they can become useful citizens.The chief minister said that besides rehabilitation of the drug users, the provincial government would also focus on strictly discouraging drug sales and drug trafficking.

“The government has a zero-tolerance policy against drug abuse. I have given special instructions to all the relevant departments and institutions to intensify actions against those involved in drug trafficking. They should target the main mafias and big fish and make them an example for others, no matter how influential they are”, the chief minister added.

He said their efforts aimed to make the provincial capital drug-free and to rehabilitate drug addicts, helping them to reintegrate into normal life.Gandapur said that KP and its people were very generous, saying of the 2,397 drug addicts rehabilitated in the first phase, 1,200-plus belonged to Punjab.

He said some of those rehabilitated were from Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, while 34 were foreigners, mostly from Afghanistan.Gandapur has directed all other divisional commissioners to compile data on drug addicts in their respective divisions and hand over the drug addicts to the commissioner of Peshawar for rehabilitation.

“We were quite concerned about drug use in the educational institutions but following an investigation, the situation is quite normal in the universities and colleges. Also, of the 4,000 students in a women’s university in Peshawar, not a single female student was found a drug addict, which is very good news for us,” the chief minister said.

He urged religious scholars, teachers, civil society, media, and public representatives to play their part in making this mission of the provincial government a success story.Riaz Khan Mahsud, who had initiated and supervised the previous two phases under “Drug-Free Peshawar”, would lead the third phase.

With coordination among local commissioners, individuals from other districts receiving treatment in Peshawar will now be rehabilitated in their home districts. A control room established in the Chief Minister’s Office monitors and directs daily anti-drug operations to ensure effective oversight.

The commissioner emphasized the mission’s focus on long-term recovery. He said: “Our goal is not only to remove addicts from the streets but to support them in regaining their lives. From November 7 to 14, a special crackdown will make Peshawar entirely drug-free, and by mid-November, no addict will remain on the city’s streets.” Outstanding participants received awards from the chief minister, who later led an anti-drug awareness walk at Peshawar University to engage students in the province-wide cause.