PESHAWAR: The Peshawar district administration will provide jobs to nearly 1,200 drug addicts after they complete a three-month-long rehabilitation period.

This was decided at a meeting convened to discuss employment opportunities for the rehabilitated drug addicts. The meeting was chaired by Peshawar division commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud, according to a statement issued here on Monday.

It said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan would be the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the rehabilitation programme on August 25, and would also give appointment letter to the rehabilitated drug addicts.

Speaking at the meeting, Riaz Mehsud said besides providing employment opportunities, the government would also ensure surveillance of the drug addicts to stop them from relapse into the illegal practice. He said the remaining 700 drug addicts from the city’s streets would also be shifted to rehabilitation centres.

In addition to this, he said the district administration would arrange dope tests of students of educational institutions with the approval of the KP government and shift the drug addicts among them to the rehabilitation centres.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2022