Daily Times

Minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti and Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday agreed for a joint strategy to curb drug trafficking and its use in the Punjab province.

Minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti met with Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shehbaz Sharif and discussed domestic and political situation in the country, said a statement issued here.

The minister said use of drugs in educational institutions would be discouraged while public will also be made aware of use of different types of drugs and its dangers.

In the meeting, CM Punjab assured all-out cooperation for the prevention of drug trafficking.

Combined efforts needed to curb menace of narcotics:Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Parliamentary Affairs of Balochistan Assembly Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi on Sunday said that the poison of drugs was licking our society like termites, while can be countered by collective measures so that the menace of narcotics does not spread, while protecting the youths of our society.

She said this in a message issued here on the occasion of World Drug Day. She said that according to a UN report, more than 7.6 million people in Pakistan were addicted to drugs while in Balochistan the number is around 0.3 million, also saying that counter-narcotics measures and legislation in the country needed to be made more effective.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Dr. Rababa Khan Buledi said that 350 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 worldwide were addicted to some form of drugs among them, as the rate of drug addicts was 7%.

“Our youth often adopt deadly habits like drugs due to social reactions and lack of guidance. The young generation addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling and other addictions were damaging their lives and also creating many problems for their families,” she held.

Dr. Rubaba Khan Baledi said that Pakistani authorities, 24 agencies including ANF, Customs and Excise were active in drug rehabilitation and 60% of the drugs seized in Pakistan was due to the efforts made by the anti-narcotics forces.

She said that according to a UN, out of 7.6 million drug users in Pakistan, 78 percent were men and 22 percent women.

Dr. Rababa Khan Buledi said that eradication of drugs stands out to be a challenge which the entire society has to fight together for its elimination.

She said the Balochistan government would take step to build latest department for rehabilitation of drug addicted persons with the aim to prevent curse of narcotics in the area.

Punjab CM fully aware of people’s problems: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Deputy Secretary Information Punjab Imran Goraya has said that Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif is fully aware of problems facing people of the province and he is making all-out efforts to resolve these issues on priority.

In his statement issued on Sunday, he said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had drowned the country economically and financially. He said that now under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the coalition government had started reviving the economy.

The PML-N leaders said that implementation of public welfare programmes had been started in Punjab, adding that Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz was striving to lessen prices of daily-use items and edibles.He said the CM had also completely abolished official petrol quota of ministers.

The PML-N deputy secretary information Punjab said that now the chief minister and members of the cabinet would not get official petrol even during their performance of duties. Imran Goraya said that PML-N government and its allies were clearing the financial landmines, laid by the outgoing PTI government.