Sindh Assembly Standing Committee on Home Affairs Chairperson Faryal Talpur has emphasized that all relevant institutions, elected representatives, parents, teachers and members of society must unite and play their respective roles in eliminating narcotics.
While the arrest of an individual drug dealer is an important achievement, the real objective is to dismantle the entire narcotics network and supply chain, she said while a meeting of the committee on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Sindh Minister for Home and Law, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Minister for Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah, committee members Sohail Anwar Siyal, Dr Qasim Soomro and Sadia Javed. Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Inspector General of Police Sindh Javed Alam Odho, additional IG Karachi, additional IG CTD, additional IG Special Branch, all DIGs and SSPs also attended the meeting.
Additional IG Karachi Azad Khan gave a comprehensive briefing on the case of alleged drug trafficker Anmol alias “Pinky”, informing the committee about the arrest, recoveries, case details, criminal record and actions taken by the police. The committee was informed that multiple cases had been registered against the accused in Karachi, Lahore and other cities, while operations were continuing against her network, facilitators and individuals involved in narcotics trafficking in coordination with federal investigative agencies.
The committee also reviewed measures taken to monitor routes along the Sindh-Balochistan border and prevent smuggling and inter-provincial narcotics trafficking. Briefings were also given regarding ongoing campaigns against the use and sale of gutka, mawa and other harmful substances, as well as awareness programmes in educational institutions.
The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) also presented a briefing. The committee was informed that with the support of the Government of Sindh, three rehabilitation centres are operational in Karachi, while one each is functioning in Hyderabad and Sukkur. Each centre provides treatment and rehabilitation services for drug addicts free of charge, with a total capacity of 405 beds.
ANF officials said that according to the last survey conducted in 2013, 650,000 drug users were present across Sindh, highlighting the need to expand both the capacity and number of rehabilitation facilities.
During the briefing, proposals were presented for establishing additional rehabilitation centres in Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas. Chairperson Faryal Talpur directed that more rehabilitation centres be established across Sindh in collaboration with the Sindh Health Department.
She further instructed that the existing centres in Sukkur and Hyderabad be strengthened, better equipped and made more effective to provide improved treatment and rehabilitation services to drug-dependent individuals.
Faryal Talpur stated that if narcotics are being supplied from foreign countries, particularly from African nations, then strict and indiscriminate action must also be taken against local facilitators, patrons and networks operating within the country. She noted that the Sindh police and other law enforcement agencies bear a significant responsibility in eradicating this menace through effective and result-oriented measures.
