Daily Times

Earlier this year, a twisted tale of Pakistani drug lords taking the Nigerian smuggling network for a ride made headlines. The very confusing details of the double-crossing saga aside, a court-mandated inquiry found Karachi-based SHO and SIO to be facilitators of the international drug ring. While those on the right side of the law were not said to have fallen to the menace of recreational drugs, there still existed an informal understanding between them and the underworld kingpins. Keeping these clandestine ties in mind, the Punjab Inspector General of Police called for a drug test of police officials. While the sample collection is underway in other districts, the staggering statistics of Kasur have been nothing short of an eye-opener. Of the 48 policemen tested, samples of as many as 24 were positive. Of course one can’t jump the gun before ruling out medicinal drug use. However, half of the constabulary falling prey to drug dependence while being in constant contact with free cache recovered during raids cannot be ignored. Have we already forgotten how an addict threw his five children in the Jamber canal in Kasur last year? What about the frequent media reports about drug peddlers enjoying an informal carte blanche to carry out illegal activities across the district? A simple connecting of the dots and voila! the enmeshed alliance between the long arm of the law and those bent on twisting it can be decoded!

It might be wise to expect similar results from other districts. Call it the sway of a sweetened deal or little regard for the sanctity of the donned uniform, this particular stripe of tolerance prevails everywhere. And isn’t it easier for the criminal world to accommodate cops by dangling the candies in front of them?

Quite expectedly, the alarming increase in the number of drug users is just as rampant everywhere. While no fresh data is yet available, the last UN report estimated around 8.9 million drug addicts in Pakistan. Our romance with illicit substances is as old as the hills. Back in the 1980s, Pakistan’s illegal drug trade allegedly generated $2 billion every year. Peshawar was then called the epicentre of this phenomenon, largely due to its close proximity to Afghan poppy fields. Two decades later, we have similar cynosures in mystic shrines dotted across the country. These communal smoke-fests would have been somewhat tolerable had they not spread their tentacles to colleges, universities and libertine outposts in metropolises. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad; it’s the same story, just a different name. The pain felt on the faces of those whose dear ones get hooked on narcotics is a tragedy altogether.

It goes without saying that the first step towards a drug-free Pakistan would be through the door of a fortified police department. We first need to ensure that those shouldered with the responsibility of protecting the citizenry are safe themselves. Saddling them with the fight against organised drug lords–who operate as a state within the state–would, thus, need an aggressive and particularly well-equipped security force. But any weaponry–no matter how futuristic–cannot work if the hand holding it is cowed and jittery! *