Expert group meeting on 'Preventing Drug Abuse' today

ISLAMABAD: A two-day high-level expert group meeting on the theme of ‘Preventing Drug Abuse in Educational Settings: Fostering Regional Cooperation and Partnership’ will be held in Islamabad on Monday.

Senior officials from regional countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will participate in the meeting.

The high-level meeting aims to promote exchange of experiences and good practices among regional countries on how to effectively counter the common challenge of drug abuse in schools, colleges and universities.

The meeting would be followed by one-day training session on the same theme. The training session is designed to strengthen the capacities of relevant national stakeholders, including law enforcement, education and health authorities to respond with concerted approach to the drug abuse in educational settings.

The Supreme Court (SC) in November last year directed centre and provinces to submit monthly progress report against the usage of narcotics in educational institutes.

According to the details, a three-member bench of the SC headed by the then chief justice Saqib Nisar, while hearing a case pertaining to drug peddling in educational institutes, had ordered the provinces to submit monthly report on drugs in academies.

It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had submitted report in the apex court on drugs in educational institutes, whereas the chief justice had directed Sindh and Balochistan police to submit their reply over noncooperation within 10 days.

DIG operation Lahore had told the apex court that police had launched crackdown against the drug peddlers and apprehended at least 50 suspects.