Drug abuse: Awareness drive launched in Mansehra educational institutions

MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtu-nkhwa police on Saturday launched an awareness campaign to ward off students and youngsters from falling prey to narcotics peddlers at educational institutions across the district.

“We have initiated this awareness campaign at this university and will extend it to other educational institutions, as students are prime targets of narcotic peddlers,” District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told a seminar organised at Hazara University here. The event was attended largely by male and female students, faculty members, and health experts, and it concluded with an awareness walk. Gandapur said that data collected from various sources and investigations into arrested narcotics peddlers and addicts painted a grim picture, showing that students and educational institutions were among the primary targets for the spread of narcotics particularly.

“You are the bright future of this country and your families. Be vigilant and ensure that anti-social elements cannot infiltrate your institutions to carry out their harmful agendas,” he told the students.

He further said that the police had already involved community members in their crackdown against narcotics peddlers, yielding highly encouraging results.

Vice-Chancellor of Hazara University Dr Mohsan Nawaz said that the importance of such events in encouraging students to play an active and collective role in warding off their fellows and keeping narcotics peddlers away from educational institutions.

“Although we have implemented all necessary measures to ensure that no strangers or people with malicious intentions enter our premises, students must also remain vigilant,” he added.