Pubdate: Fri, 30 Mar 2012
Source: Nation, The (Pakistan)
Copyright: 2012 The Nation Group of Publications Pvt Limited
Contact:  http://www.nation.com.pk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1020
Author: Javed Iqbal
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)

NIZAMI URGES TEACHERS TO PLAY DUE ROLE

LAHORE - The use of drugs means to invite death. All the members of 
society should have an eye on drug addiction and work hard to stop 
the addicts from using drugs.

Only the teachers can create awareness among the new generation about 
the bad effects of drugs on their lives. Smoking of cigarettes and 
Shesha are dangerous trends that lead to drug addiction and then to 
ultimate end that is death. The need of the hour is to create 
awareness among the masses specially youth about the dangers of addiction.

These views were expressed by Pakistan Movement Worker, noted 
journalist and TheNation Editor-in-Chief and Nazaria-i-Pakistan Trust 
(NPT) Chairman Majid Nizami in his presidential address at a training 
workshop on "How To Make Lahore a Drug Free City" at Aiwan-i-Karkunan 
Tehreek-i-Pakistan on Thursday.

NPT Vice Chairman Dr Rafique Ahmad, Drug Free City Lahore (DFCL) 
Director Altaf Qamar, Anti-Narcotics Force Chief Brigadier Shahid 
Afzal, Al-Fajr Organisation President Pirzada Akmal Awaisi, SPO 
Regional Director Salman Abid, Syed Nadim Abbas, Misbah-ul-Hasan, NPT 
Secretary Shahid Rashid, Rafaqat Riaz, teachers, students and a large 
number of people from different walks of life attended the workshop.

DFCL, Anti Narcotics Force, Al-Fajr Pakistan and Tehreek-i-Pakistan 
Workers Trust jointly organised the workshop.

Mr Nizami on the occasion said that he had seen many addicts while 
injecting themselves. They do this act openly in the bazaars of the 
city, he added. He said that the habit of smoking was very old among 
the youths.

Only the teachers could play a positive role in this regard by 
creating awareness among the students in the educational 
institutions, he stressed. Regretting over the spread of drug 
addiction among the women, Nizami stressed the need to create 
awareness among them about its negative.

Prof Dr Rafique Ahmad said that new generation is the future of 
Pakistan. He said that a large number of the youths had been falling 
prey to drug addiction.

He said that the Pakistani nation was a talented nation. Geography of 
the country, seasons, minerals, fertile lands, beautiful valleys, 
streams and all other things add to the glory of the country, he 
added. He said that people of Pakistan should vote to the honest 
candidates in the coming elections.

Altaf Qamar gave a presentation on drug addiction that had Quranic 
and Hadith references against drinking and smoking. He said that all 
the religions including Christianity forbade drinking and drug addiction.

He said that like terrorism, drug addiction had also grasped the 
entire world. Giving figures of the year 2011, Qamar said that more 
than a hundred thousand people in Lahore including 40,000 heroin 
addicts and 20,000 injecting drug users (IDUs) were using drugs. The 
number of drug addicts in Pakistan, he said, was nine million.

He said that more than two million youth aged 15 to 25 years were 
addicts and more than two hundred thousand women have also become 
victim of drugs addiction in Pakistan. Moreover, 40 percent literate 
and 60 percent illiterate people were addicts. The ratio of employed 
person in the country was 68 percent, he said.

Addressing the workshop, Brig Shahid Afzal said, "Drug addiction is 
increasing among the youths especially girls at school, colleges and 
universities level and there is dire need to launch mass awareness 
campaign against drugs in educational institutions".

The ANF Chief called upon the students to avoid smoking, saying that 
the cigarette is the first step towards drug addiction and "Sheesha" is second.

He also highlighted the role of parents, teachers and the media in 
controlling drug addiction among the youths. He said that the ANF was 
considered one of best three anti-narcotics forces of the world which 
is matter of great pride for Pakistan.

Talking about the black money of Rs two to three trillion in the 
country, Shahid said that the part of drug money was Rs 400 to Rs 500 billion.

He said that Afghanistan was on the top of the list of opium 
producers in the world. He said that their Five Year Drug Control 
Master Plan would bring good results.

Salman Abid, Syed Nadeem Abbas, Misbah ul Hasan Dar and others also 
addressed on the occasion. The speakers were of the view that the 
incumbent government should take steps to eradicate drug addiction.

They said that the teachers and educational institutions should play 
an effective role in anti drug campaign. They also applauded the role 
of NGOs in this regard.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom