Efforts under way for drug-free society: minister

Provincial Minister for Baitul Maal, Chaudhry Muhammad Ejaz Shafi has said that the government is utilising all available resources for strict implementation of anti-narcotics laws besides building public opinion against this menace.
He said that the government would deal strictly with the manufacturers and traffickers of narcotics and the people who supply narcotics to the people, however, he said it was the collective responsibility of the civil society to curb this menace. He said rehabilitation centers for the addicts especially for women & children are being set up throughout the province.
While talking to delegations of various NGOs, the Baitul Minister said that use of narcotics is not only a legal but also a social and moral problem. In order to set up a drug-free society, it is the collective responsibility of parents, teachers, Ulema, social welfare organisations besides government to create awareness among the people against the use of narcotics within their sphere of influence.
He said that it is paramount obligation of parents and teachers to keep a vigilance eye on the habits and circles of friends to save the new generation from this scourge. He said that drug-traffickers deserve no leniency, as they are not criminal of law but also that of humanity bent upon distraction of society for their personal ends.
The Minister also stressed the need for launching massive awareness campaign for sensitising the people specially the women folk about hazardous aspects of smoking with a view to prevent heart, lungs, bronchitis and other fatal diseases as the smokers usually becomes the victims of narcotics also.
He said that billions of rupees are being wasted on smoking annually which is major course of spread of deadly diseases like heart attach. He said that it is a social duty of community leaders to sensitise public about smoking at public places and added the government has taken concrete steps for complete ban on sale of cigarettes to juveniles. It is the collective responsibility of the whole society to control the use of narcotics so that the future of new generation could be saved, he concluded.