Drug abuse is murdering our children.

LAST month the Karachi Police uncovered a series of unreported deaths of young girls. After investigation, it came to light that the girls were at a party in a farmhouse in the outskirts of the city where they were exposed to drug overuse which caused their deaths and in a mysterious manner they were buried within the walls of the farmhouse. Who was giving these girls an overdose of drugs? Many questions related to the murders are still unanswered and it is hoped that the police is carrying on a serious investigation into the root cause of the crime.

Drug addiction in Pakistan is a very serious and disturbing problem that can no longer be placed at a back bench by the government and policy makers. A look at the statistics, which are a conservative reading, is mind boggling. According to the United Nations report released in October 2022, 7.6 million people in Pakistan were addicted to drugs with the majority being males.

The rising trend of drug use, especially ICE, has been playing havoc with the lives of young children and youth. Usually in the context of Pakistan, most societal issues largely impact only the poor people and the rich strata of society stays well protected within its bubble, however, drug addiction amongst children has seeped into rich private educational institutions and universities in the same way as it has engulfed the poor street children of Pakistan. No child or young adult is protected from this menace. The entire next generation of the country is exposed to a danger the magnitude of which is alarming.

A quick look at facts and figures reveals the scale of the problem across the provinces and the capital. The Zhob route in Balochistan has been identified as one of the principal drug trafficking highways in South Asia. It is a well known fact that Afghanistan produces 90% of the world's opium, most of which is smuggled through the rugged terrain of Balochistan to many countries across the world. Thus making drugs easily available in Balochistan and leading to an outrageous addiction in its already primitive and economically unstable society. Similarly, in KP, which has a host of socio-economic infrastructure issues and poverty concerns within its society, drug abuse has spread like a wildfire to numb the senses of people most underprivileged.

In the city of lights, Karachi, the drug addiction and overuse has become a commonplace problem in schools and neighbourhoods, however, the homeless children are most exposed to...