MUZAFFARABAD, May 14: AJK High Court Chief Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal here on Monday converted an application seeking judicial probe into alleged presence of drug rackets in the AJK’s capital into a writ petition.

Treating them as respondents, the court issued notices to AJK’s chief secretary, IGP and vice chancellor AJK University to file their comments on the petition before or by May 20 whereas the petitioners – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Raja Farooq Haider, Central Press Club Muzaffarabad President Wahid Iqbal Butt and the club’s human rights committee chief Syed Abrar Haider – were asked to submit affidavit in support of their application within three days.

The application was filed in connection with the arrest on Thursday last of two young sisters for possessing 40 grams of heroin by police. The duo was sent on judicial remand and from there shifted to Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan Hospital for treatment.

The applicants alleged that the rackets were operating in the state capital with impunity, luring young male and female students into using drugs.

“The police are handling this matter in routine as a normal drug addiction or drug-peddling issue whereas it’s really a serious matter and therefore warrants for a determined and swift action on part of the government, the civil society and the judiciary,” they said.

They further alleged the young girls involved in the menace were later blackmailed into doing indecent things, including flesh trade and drug trafficking.

Earlier, Mr Haider, who is also leader of the opposition in AJK Assembly, led a rally of journalists and civil society activists from press club to the HC building where they met the CJ in his chamber to submit the application.

“Expose the patrons of drug mafia in Muzaffarabad,” read one of the several placards being carried by the participants of the rally.