PESHAWAR: Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court S M Attique Shah on Monday directed police authorities to utilize all available resources to eradicate ice (crystal meth) and to show zero tolerance toward those involved, saying that such elements are destroying society.
The chief justice observed that major drug smugglers often manage to escape legal proceedings through different tactics, while the lack of resources remains a major challenge for police in collecting solid evidence against them.
The remarks were made during the hearing of a contempt of court petition related to the possession of 206 kanals of encroached land in Tangi, Charsadda.A bench headed by the chief justice heard the case. Regional Police Officer of Mardan Muhammad Rab Nawaz Khan, District Police Officer of Charsadda Muhammad Waqas, and Deputy Commissioner Azmat Wazir appeared before the court.
During the hearing, Mardan RPO informed the court that large-scale operations were underway against drug dealers across the Mardan region.The Charsadda DPO stated that more than 2,000 FIRs had been registered against ice dealers during his tenure.
According to Mardan DPO Masood Bangash, in the past year, police had registered over 2,600 cases, arrested nearly 3,000 drug dealers, and recovered 500 kg of ice, 1,700 kg of charas, 40 kg of heroin, and 400 liters of liquor.
The RPO told the court that a strict merit-based system had been enforced in the Mardan region and that the culture of political recommendations had been eliminated, ensuring that postings and decisions were made purely on merit.
Regarding the land encroachment case, the RPO stated that police force had been provided to the district administration, and the land was handed over to the original owner.However, the deputy commissioner informed the court that although possession of 204 kanals had been handed over twice, the owner failed to retain it, while six kanals remained occupied due to residential quarters.
Expressing dissatisfaction, the chief justice remarked that it raised serious concerns about the overall judicial enforcement system if the high court’s orders could not be implemented even after eight years.
He directed the RPO to personally supervise a special team to ensure the complete recovery of the land.The chief justice also questioned the rising number of ice dealers in Tangi. In response, the RPO said drug control had been placed on priority, and both DPOs of Mardan and Charsadda were personally supervising investigations.
Police officials clarified that while drugs were not manufactured in Tangi, proceeds from drug trade conducted elsewhere were brought into the area.The court adjourned the hearing until the first week of April and directed authorities to fully recover the encroached land in Charsadda and submit a compliance report.
