Police toiling to bring vision of ‘Drug Free West’ to fruition

Raid Kati Pahari drug lord’s den as part of crackdown to rid District West of drug groups

A few years ago Kati Pahari became infamous for ethno-political violence and later for Taliban militancy. While the Karachi operation has returned peace to the area, the locals consider the presence of drug groups more dangerous than terrorism.

But the police of District West have been toiling to bring their vision of a ‘Drug Free West’ to fruition. Residents of Peerabad, a Pashtun-majority neighbourhood, praised the law enforcement agency (LEA) for launching a crackdown on notorious drug lord Amanullah’s den three weeks ago.

Police arrested a number of drug peddlers associated with the den and are using Amanullah’s expensive bungalow built atop a hill as a police checkpoint. Naseem Khan, the officer who led the raid, told The News that the raid was part of an ongoing crackdown on gangs selling drugs in District West.

On Thursday community leaders and elected local government representatives organised a programme in honour of Peerabad police officials, and presented traditional Pashtun caps and shawls to SSP (West) Nasir Aftab, DSP (Orangi) Hasan Sardar and Naseem Khan.

Former Sindh minister Nadeem Bhutto, District Zakat Committee Chairman Siddique Akbar, and elected representatives and community elders from Peerabad and its adjacent neighbourhoods, including Dir Colony, Pahar Ganj and Islamia Colony, attended the event.

Akbar said the locals had been putting up with drug dens since the past decade, and despite frequent complaints, police and other LEAs did not take any action against them.

Thanking Aftab and other police officers who took stern action against the Amanullah-led drug group, Akbar hoped that the LEAs would not allow them to resume selling drugs.

Residents of Peerabad and Dir Colony said hashish, opium and locally-made liquor were being sold openly at the drug den.

“Amanullah has formed a network of informers and armed men at various entry points – including Abdul Malik Karai Hotel, Banaras Chowk, Abdullah College and Intermediate board office – who informed him when the law enforcers were on their way to raid his den,” said an elected councillor.

He said Amanullah had also threatened several activists for their opposition, and in some cases got them arrested by the police in fake cases.

“It was quite disgusting and appalling to see dozens of drug addicts from various areas standing in a queue during the morning hours,” said Muhammad Usman of Peerabad. He said the youth of the area were at risk of drug addiction.

The shopkeepers added that the drug addicts were committing street crimes to buy more drugs. “Whether it’s day or night, drug addicts use our streets to climb the hill to purchase drugs, and because of it stealing had become common,” said a vegetable seller.

Even women are involved in the lucrative drug business, as someone locally known as ‘Zeba’ had been helping the drug den in the locality. Her neighbour said Zeba had hired several poor women of the area for packing hashish and heroin in small packets.

Officer Naseem Khan said the police had arrested Zeba, who was Amanullah’s wife and had also contested the LG polls from the area.

Besides Peerabad, police are also cracking down on drug dens in other parts of District West. SSP Aftab said they were working on the vision of ‘Drug Free West’, and so far they had eliminated narcotics dens in the various parts of the district, including Pak Colony, Manghopir, Ittehad Town and some areas of Orangi Town.

On the subject of the Peerabad crackdown, he said the police were still hunting for Amanullah but 90 per cent of his gang had been apprehended. In Pak Colony, the police dismantled three drug groups of Riasat Baloch and Majid Turbati. “We are also cracking down on two other gangs. These groups are more mobile than others in selling drugs.”