KOHAT: Deputy commissioner Roshan Mehsud has assured the tribesmen of Darra Adamkhel tribal subdivision of extending support in eradicating the drug trade in the area.

He made the assurance while speaking at a jirga, which was called at the request of six tribes of the tribal subdivision on Monday.

Darra assistant commissioner Younis Khan and tribal elders were also present at the forum held at the Eagle Fort.

Mr Mehsud said the drugs were eating into the foundations of the society.

He said it was a good omen that Darra elders had decided to curb the sale of drugs in the region. He said after the merger of tribal districts with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government faced problems in banning cultivation of hemp due to various socioeconomic and tribal restrictions.

Speaking on the occasion, an elder Malik Hayat Khan said a rehabilitation hospital was under construction for the drug addicts in Dara Adamkhel.

Malik Shafaris Khan, Malik Akbar Khan, Malik Laal Saeed and others said they would go to any extent in eradicating the drug menace in the tribal subdivision.

The tribal elders formed a committee to go after the drug traffickers in the region. They also asked the administration to arrest those who approached the police stations for release of drug sellers and addicts.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2022