PESHAWAR, Dec 29: The narcotics business is thriving and the number of drug addicts in Malakand agency are multiplying by the day.

A statement issued by the Malakand Students Federation here on Sunday strongly condemned the use and sale of the deadly heroin and other drugs in the Malakand agency, specially in Sakhakot, where the evil business was on the rise.

The citizens had also asked the local government to stop this inhuman business as the youths of the agency were faced with drug addiction problem.

The MSF said some of the influential and moneyed people in that locality were involved in that business. “The Nazim and Naib Nazim of the district had shut their eyes to this grave problem,” it further said.

Besides, the federation said, the law enforcement agencies were taking no serious notice of the sale of narcotics. The Malakand Levies Force had also ignored this illegal activity and the levies personnel themselves were making patrolling in the stolen vehicles, the MSF alleged.

The MSF went on to say that even when some addicts were sent to hospitals for recovery, very soon they get addicted again owing to the easy availability of the narcotics in the locality.