PESHAWAR, Feb 22: The federal and provincial governments have been violating mandatory provisions of the Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 1997, regarding rehabilitation of drug addicts.

Lawyers dealing with narcotics cases told Dawn on Friday that chapters VI and VII of the CNSA pertaining to treatment and rehabilitation of addicts and national fund for control of drug abuse were completely overlooked by the governments.

Under section 52(1) of the Act, the provincial governments should register all addicts within their respective jurisdiction for the purpose of treatment and rehabilitation of addicts. Moreover, under sub-section 2 of the same section the federal government should bear all expenses for first time compulsory de- toxification of an addict.

The law further envisages that the addict should carry a registration card in such form as may be prescribed and produce it to any public authority on demand.

By section 53 of the CNSA it is made mandatory for the provincial governments to establish as many centres as may be deemed necessary for de-toxification, de- addiction, education, after-care, rehabilitation, social integration of addicts and for supply of such medicines as are considered necessary for the de-toxification of the addicts.

Commenting on the issue the chairman of Free Legal Aid Cell (Voice of Prisoners), Noor Alam Khan, said the two basic objectives of the CNSA were to deal with offences and punishments, and rehabilitation of addicts. Presently, he said the governments had been implementing the provisions dealing with offences and punishments, but had completely ignored the second objective. “The registration of addicts and provision of registration cards to them mean that the addicts shall be treated as special people, but here they are degraded and not provided medical treatment,” he claimed.

Mr Alam said the addicts in prison should be treated as patients and not as prisoners, as in most of the cases instead of providing them medical treatment there they were treated harshly like prisoners. He added that the government should at least implement its own laws if it could not adopt any other extra- ordinary measures for helping the addicts.

Another expert said the government had been shifting its responsibilities to the NGOs, whereas the reputation of most of the NGOs dealing in drug addiction was not up to the mark. He added that most of these organisations across the country had been receiving huge donations and in return they only perform publicity-oriented services.

Under chapter VII of the CNSA the federal government may constitute the National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse and apart from grants the fund should also consist sale proceed of any assets forfeited under this Act or any other law for the time being in force. The fund should be managed by a governing body which would submit its annual report to the government.