CM inaugurates Ice Drug Rehabilitation Centre

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday inaugurated the Ice Drug Rehabilitation Centre which is equipped with the latest facilities.

According to an official handout, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan, Special Assistant to CM on Information Technology Kamran Bangash, Member National Assembly Shaukat Ali and others attended the ceremony.

The chief minister said it is the first-ever such centre which would provide free food and accommodation. More importantly, it would rehabilitate the ice (methamphetamine) drug addicts along with providing training facilities to make them productive citizens.

The chief minister termed the new centre as a unique one where the neglected people who develop physiological barriers for multiple reasons could be rehabilitated. It will make them useful citizens, not only to contribute to society but also enable them to sustain, he pointed out. Mahmood Khan said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had the distinction of spearheading the change to reform the entire social fabric, making efforts for the welfare of people and introducing legislation to ensure good governance.

The chief minister said the centre would have a separate portion for the treatment of the ice drug affectees. A laboratory would be established with modern facilities to undertake necessary screening, he added. Mahmood Khan said qualified staff including doctors, nurse, lab technicians, pharmacists and physiologists would be arranged to take care of the ice drug addicts. He said it was the collective responsibility of the government and welfare institutions to rise to the occasion and contribute to the rehabilitation of ice drug affectees. The chief minister said the government had inaugurated a shelter home a few days back and today he had had the privilege to inaugurate ice drug and rehabilitation centre. Our next step would be to focus on the beggars to make them useful citizens of the society, he added.

Mahmood Khan said a new ice drug centre would also be established in Hayatabad which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Earlier, Peshawar District Nazim Muhammad Asim Khan spoke about the aims of the centre. Later, the chief minister and others visited the separate portions established for the women in the centre. Mahmood Khan praised the district nazim for taking interest in the public welfare activities. The nazim presented a souvenir to the chief minister.