PESHAWAR: Lawmakers in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously declared the growing use of ice drug (crystal meth) as an epidemic and the province’s second most serious threat after terrorism during Tuesday’s session.
The emergency debate revealed alarming details about the drug’s penetration into educational institutions and homes across the province.
The issue was raised by MPA Aftab Haider through a calling attention notice during the session chaired by MPA Anwar Khan. Haider specifically raised concern about Dera Ismail Khan, where he reported a rapidly increasing number of ice drug addicts with no government rehabilitation centre available.
“Though Dera Ismail Khan has many private drug rehab centres, their treatment is too costly for poor people,” Haider stated, highlighting the accessibility crisis in drug treatment.
Terrorism-Drug Nexus
In a startling revelation, Haider alleged that “the majority of terrorists arrested by law-enforcement agencies had been detected as drug addicts,” drawing a direct connection between the drug epidemic and security threats.
MPA Jalai Khan supported these concerns, informing the assembly that “the use of the ice drug was alarmingly increasing in the province’s youths” and had become “very common in universities, colleges and youth hostels.”
“The drugs are destroying our generations,” Khan warned. “Their use in our province has increased so much that a drug addict could be found at every third house.”
Government Response
Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi acknowledged the severity, stating that “in a planned manner, the use of drugs, especially crystal meth, had been spread among youth to ruin them.” He identified Afghanistan as the primary source of most drugs smuggled into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a significant policy announcement, former social welfare minister and treasury MPA Syed Qasim Ali Shah revealed that “the provincial government would soon include the rehabilitation of drug addicts in the Sehat Sahulat Programme with the treatment cost being borne by the government.”
Shah provided specific cost details, noting that rehabilitation at government centres costs Rs 70,000 compared to Rs 30,000 at private facilities. He also reported that “around 2,400 drug addicts were rehabilitated in the recent Drug-Free Peshawar Campaign.”
Security Concerns
The debate expanded to security concerns, with Minister of Housing Dr. Amjid Ali questioning why “130,000 personnel of police and 40,000 of other law-enforcement agencies” cannot eliminate “3,800-4,100 terrorists.”
The speaker later adjourned the session until December 1 due to lack of quorum, leaving the drug crisis as an unresolved critical issue of the province.
