ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control Senator Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhary feels that drug addicts should be treated as sick people and every possible step needs to be taken for their treatment.
The Chairman during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control which was held here on Friday also paid tribute to the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) personnel involved in the operation of seizing 360 kg of heroin from Karachi port which was being smuggled to the UK.
In the meeting, Senator Shahadat Awan informed the committee about the seizure of 360kg of heroin by the ANF from Karachi port to which the chairman also recommended a reward from the government for their encouragement.
Senator Saifullah Abro informed the committee that 25 people were killed due to drinking raw liquor in Tando Allahyar and Tando Jam areas of Sindh province but no one took notice of the matter. “Raw liquor factories are being run in those area and either people are dying or get blind by drinking the liquor, ” he said.
To which the Secretary Narcotics Control said the matter of raw liquor does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Narcotics Control and only the local police or provincial government can conduct a trial on it.
Senator Jam Mahtab Hussain Dahar said our new generation was being destroyed due to drugs and we should do our best to stop them from the menace.
To which the chairman of the committee sought a detailed report from the provincial government on the matter.
On the question raised by Senator Seemi Ezdi in the House regarding the centers set up for treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, the Secretary Narcotics Control informed the committee that there were currently 135 rehabilitation centers in operation across the country. There are about 70 unregistered centers.
“We try to register as many centers as possible. Only four centers are functioning under ANF, three in Sindh and one in Islamabad. A new center is being set up in Rawat. The prevention of new drugs, including crystal and ice, was a major challenge, ” he said.
He said ANF’s mandate was to prevent and control large-scale drug trafficking. “Treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and the provincial governments, ” he said.
The meeting was attended by Senators Seemi Ezdi, Jam Mahtab Dahar, Shahadat Awan, Saifullah Abro, Falak Naz, Naseebullah Bazai, Secretary Narcotics Control and ANF officials.