KARACHI, June 22: The Minister of the Interior, Lt-Gen Moinuddin Haider (retd), has stressed the need to launch an effective awareness campaign in the country against the evil of drug addiction.

“Our religion can play an important role as Ulema, in mosques and Madaris, can help create awareness against the menace,” he said while speaking here on Saturday at the National Narcotics Conference, organized by the Healthcare Forum in collaboration with the Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi.

Pointing at the significance of addition of narcotics in curricula from primary classes, he said it would help create awareness among youths against the evil as teachers could effectively prevent them from falling prey to drug addiction.

“I had written a letter to the Federal Minister of Education, Zobaida Jalal, in this regard, and she made a commitment to include the evil of drug abuse in textbooks of primary classes,” he added.

Gen Haider said the electronic and print media could also play an important role in highlighting the havoc created by drug abuse.

He said the menace had equally affected the Third World, Europe and the US.

“Despite their best efforts, these countries are finding it difficult to curb drug abuse. This shows the gravity of the situation,” he remarked.

The minister called upon all countries to display a similar resolve and commitment in tackling the menace of drug abuse, the kind of determination they have shown against terrorism.

“The first step should be to declare the country found involved in exporting drugs dangerous. Financial assistance to such countries should be stopped,” he said.

He said the entire world had praised Pakistan for eliminating poppy from its land. Some 10 years ago Dir, Malakand and Khyber areas produced nearly 800 tons of poppy.

“We can proudly claim that in 2000 the country was declared a poppy-free country,” he added.

The minister said following the rooting out of poppy from these areas large amounts of money had been donated by Japan and other countries for construction of roads, schools, hospitals and for alternative sources of income for those living in these areas.

He said now no heroin laboratory is functioning in Pakistan. Properties worth billions of rupees of drug smugglers have been confiscated, and two influential people, involved in the drug business, have been awarded death sentence.

“In recognition of Pakistan’s efforts in eliminating drugs from its land, European countries have rewarded it recently by granting special relaxation in the textile quota,” he said.

He disclosed that Pakistan recently received a grant of 73 million US dollars to check the spread of narcotics in the country. Out of this amount five helicopters, fitted with night vision apparatus, would be bought.

Gen Haider said 545,000 US dollars had been provided to Pakistan to set up a chain of detoxification and rehabilitation centres for addicts and training of those involved in providing such health care, 277,800 US dollars to create awareness of the hazards of drug abuse and 15,000 US dollars to set up an epidemiology laboratory.

This, he said, was besides the allocation of Rs7.5 million by the Government of Pakistan for promotion of community participation programmes aimed to sensitize the people.

The minister of the interior expressed his determination to bring to book those elements who carried out subversive activities in Karachi.

“Due to their activities, investment in Pakistan has come to a virtual halt, while foreign investors left from the country. The current level of poverty can be attributed to subversive activities,” he said.

The Chairman of the Healthcare Forum, Dr Majid Ali Abidi, in his address of welcome said this conference was dedicated to raise awareness of the hazards of drug abuse.

He said though Pakistan had won international acclaim for eliminating the cultivation of poppy, the number of drug addicts continued to increase at an alarming rate.

“There are more than four million drug addicts in the country. 22 million of whom are heroin addicts, and 25-30 million people are directly affected by the addiction of their relations,” he added.

Citing causes of drug addiction, he said social taboos, economic hardship and lack of healthy recreational facilities had been identified as major causes of drug addiction in the country.

“Of course, we have strong anti-drug policies and laws in place, however due attention is needed to raising public awareness of the hazards of substance abuse,” he said.

The Chief Executive of Hamdard University Hospital, Dr Mahnaz Munir Ahmed, said Pakistan had eliminated poppy cultivation, but much needed to be done. At present 43 per cent of the youth, between the ages of 14 and 25, were drug addicts.

She said children in primary schools should be taught about the harmful effects of drug use. She also called for fighting the menace of pan, gutka, and tranquillizers.

She said people mostly took to drugs because of economic insecurity.

She said Hamdard University Hospital had a special ward for treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, where they were provided free of cost medical facilities.

The President of the PMA, Karachi, Dr Hasib Alam, said the joint platform of the Forum and the PMA was first of its kind in the province, and it would go a long way to help eliminate drug abuse.

Prof Haider Ali G. Kazi said we are surrounded by countries where the cultivation of poppy is widespread and much of this stuff pass through Pakistan on their way to other countries. — PPI/APP