TAXILA: Critical vigilance imperative to safeguard youth from drug addiction especially ice, this was the crux of a seminar was jointly organized by Rawalpindi Police and COMSATS University Wah Cantt campus on Thursday. The event was followed by a walk.

The seminar was chaired by Punjab Standing Committee on Finance Chairman Mohsin Ayub Khan and attended by Police officers, teachers, civil society activists, students and people from different walks of life.

The speakers of the seminar laid stress on arranging frequent awareness-raising sessions for the protection of people, especially the young generation, from drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Student speakers shed light on the concerning infiltration of drugs into educational institutions and stressed the need for awareness and stringent legislation.

The committee chairman said that Pakistan’s greatest asset and future – the youth – that comprise 66pcof the population is the worst affected by different social evils.

Quoting a reference from an international organisation’s report, he revealed alarming figures – a staggering 280 million individuals worldwide had succumbed to drug use by 2022, with almost seven million in Pakistan alone, predominantly comprising youth.

“Protecting our youth and the coming generation from the drug menace is inevitable for a prosperous future,” he added. He emphasised the peril of drug addiction on future generations. He said that people from all walks of life must unite in the battle against drugs, not only to monitor their children but also to shield them from the influences that lead to addiction.

The Potohar circle SP Ahmad Talah Wali while addressing the seminar underscored the police force’s pivotal role in the anti-drug campaign. He asserted that drug addiction, especially ice, had now become a deadly trend and implored students to cherish their parents’ dreams and protect themselves and their friends from this curse.

He said that in a concerted effort to combat the escalating threat of drug addiction among the youth, Rawalpindi Police during last five days arrested over ten drug peddlers among them women who were supplying drugs in the educational intuitions and seized over 15 kilogram of narcotics including ice, hashish and heroin.

Mr Wali said that Pakistan had attained status of poppy-free state since 2001, but the neighbouring territories produce over 90 per cent of the world’s opiates which puts Pakistan in double jeopardy of being a victim as well as a transit country.

He called on all sections of society to identify the individuals responsible for drug proliferation and safeguard the community.

Later, the police organised a walk from university to Taxila chowk to create awareness of the deadly effects of drugs especially among youth.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2025