Two Quaid-i-Azam University students arrested for peddling drugs on campus

E-Paper | May 03, 2026

Police on Tuesday arrested two students who were allegedly involved in supplying drugs at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) campus in Islamabad.

A team of Secretariat Police also seized more than 3 kilogrammes of hashish and ecstasy pills from the two suspects during a raid.

Both the arrested suspects are students at QAU, police told DawnNewsTV. A first information report has yet to be registered against them.

The suspects were arrested based on information revealed by a Nigerian national, who was already in custody for drug peddling.

The capital police had last month arrested three Nigerian nationals, who were suspected of supplying drugs to students in educational institutions, from near the QAU campus. Narcotics worth Rs8.5 million were recovered from them.

The inspector general of Islamabad police praised the Secretariat Police Station House Officer (SHO) Shabir Tanoli and his team for the action that led to the arrests today, police said.

An Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) official had revealed earlier this year that as many as 67 per cent of university students in the country use drugs.

About 7.6 million people in Pakistan are drug addicts, out of which 78pc are men and 22pc women, ANF Director North Brig Hammad Dogar had said while speaking at a seminar in Rawalpindi.

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Shakeel Qarar is an Islamabad-based reporter for Dawn News (TV), having been with the organization since 2012. His reporting covers crime, law and order, and security, with a specific focus on the Ministry of Interior and its subordinate agencies. He can be found on X at @Qarar009.

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bhaRAT©

Nov 20, 2018 11:24pm

This issue needs to be tackled more vigorously and the culprits given exemplary punishments.

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molvi

Nov 21, 2018 12:11am

shame on them.

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Ahsan Gul

Nov 21, 2018 12:19am

So wonderful to know their arrest and superb step to give their pictures. No Safarish or their family status be considered in prosecuting them.

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I. Mirza

Nov 21, 2018 12:43am

That is one way to pay tuition. They couldn't afford to graduate. Drug dealers always blame the drug users.

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TARIQ SHEIKH

Nov 21, 2018 01:51am

Please do not stop here but catch the people who supplies drugs to these paddlers. You will get more informations about other institutions also. You have to bust the ring who supply contraband stuff to these paddlers.

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PakistanZindabad

Nov 21, 2018 05:22am

If properly proven, make them and their suppliers an examples. Unfortunately drug users later become paddlers because they are helpless. Reach to sources and smash the head of snake, it is tough because big money involved but it is unacceptable if supplied to youths in universities

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fairplay

Nov 21, 2018 05:54am

there must be severe penalties for drugs selling and use in all educational institutions.

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Omar

Nov 21, 2018 07:09am

Very efficient of Islamabad police indeed. Media trial has begun even before the registeration of FIR. Do we have respect only for corrupt politicians whose cases cannot be mentioned iin the media by NAB?.

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Dr.M.S.Awan

Nov 21, 2018 07:53am

This is really terrible.Universities are places for grooming,preparing and developing future leaders. QuaideAzam University is one of our premier institutions,a center for quality education and research.It draws students from all over Pakistan and parents take pride in sending their sons and daughters to this University.University administration needs to start student counseling to warn students about the perils of drug use.

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Old hand

Nov 21, 2018 08:33am

Great job nabbing the paddlers BUT police and Anti Narcotics Force should smash the supply chain otherwise the business would remain as usual and our future generations would suffer beyond redemption. Suppliers pushers and paddlers should be given exemplary punishment.

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Amjad Durrani Engineer USA

Nov 21, 2018 08:50pm

Merely catching three drug peddlers from one of the institution of higher learning, is a peanut when the statistic shows that 67% of the student are either addict or randomly using drugs on campus. This clearly shows that there is a big organized chain of this criminal ongoing activity, consisting smugglers who bring dope across the border from Afghanistan through connivance of our customs & border guards, safe house/ laboratories operating in our urban centers, & distribution system using drug addicts as peddlers. Looking at magnamity of the problem & extreme risk it poses to our young generation of boys & girls, this hydra needs to be confronted and eradicated through an unrelenting well planned modern approach, comprising of well placed informers with offer of incentives, educating our youth through mass awareness program, setting up center wher addicts have to be treated, & above all cleaning out corrupt & connivings from customs & others involved in this highly criminal activity.

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