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LAHORE: Assuming powers transferred to it under the 18th Amendment, the Punjab government is going to smash narcotics dens and pounce upon their peddlers besides creating a separate narcotics wing under the excise and taxation (E&T) department.
A decision to the effect was taken at a recently held meeting of the Provincial Narcotics Control Committee created by the chief minister to redefine the role of the province regarding drug control in view of the devolution of federal powers under the 18th Amendment.
Controlling drug peddling and addiction had been low on the priority of the governments in Pakistan over the past many years.
According to sources on Saturday, the committee approved smashing of at least 150 of the existing and active drugs dens, and arrest of nearly 1,500 of listed and notorious drug peddlers in the province through intelligence sharing and joint operations by police, Anti-Narcotics Force and excise department.
Govt is set to smash dens
Besides creating the narcotics wing in the excise and taxation department, the government would establish excise police stations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Mianwali and Multan.
The committee approved amendment to the Punjab Government Rules of Business for re-allocation of functions to the departments concerned.
For example, the excise department would be assigned policy and implementation of all aspects of narcotics such as production, processing, marketing and trafficking, legislation covering all aspects of narcotics and ancillary matters, management of its police stations, coordination with the federal government and other provinces with regard to all aspects of the narcotics.
The health department would be assigned the job of legislation covering all aspects of psychotropic substances, consultation with the departments concerned, and policy on drug education, treatment and rehabilitation of addicts.
The social welfare department would be assigned the duty of policy on drug education and rehabilitation of addicts, coordination with and grant-in-aid to the NGOs engaged in these fields. The home department would be given the duty of drug enforcement, education, treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts in prisons, mutual cooperation and assistance in the field of enforcement.
Sources said the committee approved the establishment of 100-bed treatment centre at the Lahore’s Punjab Institute of Mental Health, 10 to 20 beds wards in all hospitals in Lahore, 20-bed units in Lahore and Rawalpindi jails and six-bed units in all other prisons.
It approved training of health and prisons departments’ doctors for new protocols of treatment as per international standards and to equip them with modern treatment techniques.
It recommended maintenance of data of cured patients, imparting livelihood earning skills to at least 30 per cent of the cured patients, and introduction of topics related to drug addition in courses of different classes.
Punjab plans narcotics wing under E&T dept - Newspaper - DAWN.COM
A decision to the effect was taken at a recently held meeting of the Provincial Narcotics Control Committee created by the chief minister to redefine the role of the province regarding drug control in view of the devolution of federal powers under the 18th Amendment.
Controlling drug peddling and addiction had been low on the priority of the governments in Pakistan over the past many years.
According to sources on Saturday, the committee approved smashing of at least 150 of the existing and active drugs dens, and arrest of nearly 1,500 of listed and notorious drug peddlers in the province through intelligence sharing and joint operations by police, Anti-Narcotics Force and excise department.
Govt is set to smash dens
Besides creating the narcotics wing in the excise and taxation department, the government would establish excise police stations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Mianwali and Multan.
The committee approved amendment to the Punjab Government Rules of Business for re-allocation of functions to the departments concerned.
For example, the excise department would be assigned policy and implementation of all aspects of narcotics such as production, processing, marketing and trafficking, legislation covering all aspects of narcotics and ancillary matters, management of its police stations, coordination with the federal government and other provinces with regard to all aspects of the narcotics.
The health department would be assigned the job of legislation covering all aspects of psychotropic substances, consultation with the departments concerned, and policy on drug education, treatment and rehabilitation of addicts.
The social welfare department would be assigned the duty of policy on drug education and rehabilitation of addicts, coordination with and grant-in-aid to the NGOs engaged in these fields. The home department would be given the duty of drug enforcement, education, treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts in prisons, mutual cooperation and assistance in the field of enforcement.
Sources said the committee approved the establishment of 100-bed treatment centre at the Lahore’s Punjab Institute of Mental Health, 10 to 20 beds wards in all hospitals in Lahore, 20-bed units in Lahore and Rawalpindi jails and six-bed units in all other prisons.
It approved training of health and prisons departments’ doctors for new protocols of treatment as per international standards and to equip them with modern treatment techniques.
It recommended maintenance of data of cured patients, imparting livelihood earning skills to at least 30 per cent of the cured patients, and introduction of topics related to drug addition in courses of different classes.
Punjab plans narcotics wing under E&T dept - Newspaper - DAWN.COM
