(Karachi) Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that collective efforts are needed to eradicate the menace of drugs from the society. He added that our society as a whole needs to fight and eradicate this hazard.

Addressing the participants at the inauguration of a new building at Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday, he said that drugs are a silent killer and it destroys entire families if only a single person is in the habit of taking them.

Citing statistics, PM Imran Khan said that more than 70 million young people in Pakistan have fallen prey to drug addiction, which is a dangerously high number.

"If there are 70 million drug addicts in the country, it means that 70 million families are struggling," he said.

He maintained, "Drugs are spreading in our society like a cancer." The premier highlighted that it is not only the duty of the law enforcement agencies to fight against the drug mafia but it is also the responsibility of the nation to stop spread of the drugs.

He said that Pakistan faced the menace of drugs for the first time during the Afghan Jihad.

He pointed out that the previous governments did not pay heed to eradicate drugs from the country but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government is committed to make the society drug free.

The prime minister said that the use of drugs in educational institutions is a worrying sign and all measures will be taken to end its spread. He said that the government is effectively taking action against those involved in drugs related activities.