SC for National Action Plan to deal with drug selling

Khudayar Mohla –
Expressing dismay over lacklustre performance of federal and provincial governments in curbing the menace of drug selling in the country on Friday the Supreme Court granted a week to concerned authorities to come up with ‘National Action Plan’ in the matter.
Drug peddlers in private and government educational institutions in various part of the country are destroying lives of young students but concerned authorities remained unsuccessful to address the heinous crime as they failed to launch a crackdown against the offenders.
Hearing a suo-moto notice about selling of drugs in educational institutions in response to an application of a civil society member, Abdullah Malik a three-member bench of the Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar issued directives to Federal Minister for Narcotics Control, heads of all narcotics divisions and all the provincial chief secretaries of the provinces to convene meeting for devising a ‘National Action Plan’ in the matter.
A member of the bench, Justice Ijazul Ahsan remarked it is time to devise a National Action Plan like the government already had chalked out National Action Plan to deal with terrorism in the country.
During the course of proceedings, recently appointed additional advocate general Punjab Faisal Husain Chaudhry apprised the bench that in row to curb drug menace as many as 466 arrests were made.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the provincial government performance Supreme Court asked all the concerned authorities to launch advertisement on social media in order to create awareness against drugs from today.
It is worth mentioning that Abdullah Malik had submitted before the Chief Justice during a hearing of human rights case at Lahore registry of the Supreme Court that easy availability of drugs in educational institutions was destroying the lives of students while the government failed to take measures to address the situation. He categorically pointed out that Punjab government had committed criminal negligence by not launching a crackdown on drug peddlers.Hearing of the matter was adjourned for a week.