RAWALPINDI: After travelling 780 kilometres, the Jeway Pakistan Cycle Rally reached Rawalpindi this Monday.

The eight participants began their journey in Muzaffargarh and are cycling to promote drug awareness amongst the youth with the motto ‘Say No to Drugs’.

After a day’s rest, the cyclists will move toward Islamabad.

To promote an anti-drug message, the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) sponsored the cyclists and also distributed pamphlets, handouts and stickers at schools, colleges, bus stations and other public places.

The cyclists also delivered speeches and motivational talks on clean living at various educational institutions in Multan, Chichawatni, Okara, Patoki, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum and Gujar Khan.

“During our journey, we visited a number of schools, where we asked the students to say no to narcotics and take up sports instead,” said Latif Sial, who is leading the rally.

He added that according to a research, those who give just 20 minutes to athletic activity are less likely to develop drug dependencies.

A recent survey, conducted jointly by the Narcotics Control Division, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated that 4.25 million people in Pakistan suffer from drug addiction, with a substantial proportion of the population aged between 15 and 64 suffering the consequences.

The rally began on April 23 and reached ANF headquarters on Monday.

The participants were received by Director General Khawar Hanif, who said that ANF has always supported athletic activity and supported such rallies for the last 10 years.

He expressed his appreciation for the volunteers, and called anti-drug awareness a noble cause.

The eight member rally is being lead by Mr. Latif Sial and is comprised of Azhar Hussain, Waqas Bashir, Ghazanfar Abbas, Asim Sial, Allah Bachaya and Ghulam Abbas.

Initially, 10 cyclists took part in the rally, but two had to leave en route to Rawalpindi due to health problems and work.