PESHAWAR
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government decided to soon launch a comprehensive operation and rehabilitation programme aimed at making the provincial capital Peshawar and tribal district Khyber free of drug addicts and providing them with treatment and rehabilitation services.
The decision was taken on the special directives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to provide treatment and rehabilitation to drug-dependent individuals and help them return to productive and dignified lives in society.
An important meeting was held under the chairmanship of commissioner Peshawar division Riaz Khan Mehsud and provincial minister for social welfare Malik Liaquat Ali Khan.
Deputy Commissioners Peshawar and Khyber, director social welfare, district social welfare officers Peshawar and Khyber and administrative officers of other relevant departments attended the meeting.
The provincial social welfare minister was given a detailed briefing on the first four phases of the Drug-Free Peshawar campaign, described as the world’s largest rehabilitation programme of its kind.
The briefing claimed that more than 4,800 drug-dependent individuals had so far been successfully treated and rehabilitated under a public-private partnership.
Those who completed treatment have recovered and returned to normal lives, while the rehabilitation programme has received widespread recognition both nationally and internationally.
The meeting decided that a major operation and rehabilitation programme would be launched at the earliest to make Peshawar and Khyber free of drug addicts and provide treatment, rehabilitation and support for their dignified reintegration into society.
To this end, the director social welfare was directed to issue an advertisement within 24 hours to engage the services of private rehabilitation centres. Private facilities will be incorporated into the treatment and rehabilitation programme under a public-private partnership framework.
The meeting made it clear that there would be no compromise on the standards, registration or treatment of patients at rehabilitation centres. Strict action will be taken against centres that violate rules and regulations or are found to be substandard, unregistered, involved in illegal activities or implicated in incidents of violence. Such facilities will be shut down.
Relevant departments were also directed to establish an effective and coordinated mechanism for identifying drug-dependent individuals, transferring them to rehabilitation centres, providing treatment and rehabilitation, and subsequently reintegrating them into society.
Commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud and Provincial Minister Malik Liaquat Ali Khan reiterated that the government’s fight against drugs would not be limited to arrests. Treatment, rehabilitation and helping affected individuals regain a dignified life are also among the government’s top priorities.
The meeting decided that all available resources would be utilised for the purpose, coordination among relevant institutions would be further strengthened, and long-term, sustainable and effective measures would continue to be taken to combat drug abuse.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government expressed its resolve to protect the younger generation from the menace of drugs and ensure the creation of a healthy, safe and drug-free society.
