Islamabad:
The members of the Permanent Committee of the National Assembly expressed the serious concern on Wednesday for the increase in drug abuse throughout Pakistan, warning that narcotics had penetrated schools, universities and even homes.
The problem was raised during a committee meeting chaired by Raja Khurram Nawaz. The members of the Sharmila Faruqui committee questioned why, despite the RS26 billion budget of the Ministry of Interior, drug trafficking remained without control.
“Drugs are sold on each street and in schools, schools and universities. We need a detailed information session,” he demanded. The president commented that drug vendors were often arrested but released in a matter of months.
The director of the Antiartic Force (ANF), Brig Imran Ali, informed the committee that the campaigns were carried out in 263 educational institutions, which led to the arrest of more than 400 drug vendors and the seizure of 1,470 kilograms of narcotics.
In 2024, he added, a total of 361 tons of drugs throughout the country were seized, of which ANF seizures were 176 tons. In addition, he declared that 19 gangs had been arrested this year, and active for the value of frozen RS7 billion.
According to Brig Imran, the ANF operated five regional directives, 33 police stations and seven rehabilitation centers. However, he emphasized that the force still faced labor shortage, scanner problems and limited resources.
The committee members questioned why drug abuse persisted despite operations. Qadir Patel pointed out the porous borders in Baluchistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, saying that narcotics continue to flow without control.
Noseen Fatima raised concerns about the unregulated rehabilitation centers in Islamabad, calling them “a scam to loot citizens.” The committee ordered the authorities to present detailed measures at the next meeting.
