Admin, owners involved in drug peddling in Islamabad educational institutes: Senator Mehmood

ISLAMABAD: The chairman of Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) on Tuesday admitted his failure to prevent accessibility of drugs in schools and colleges in the city. 

In a briefing to Senate Cabinet Committee, Hasnat Qureshi said educational institutes have been served notices but to no avail.

“Neither the Islamabad administration nor educational institutions are ready to cooperate [to ensure the elimination of the menace of drugs],” he lamented.

Chairman Cabinet Committee Senator Talha Mehmood took a strong stance on the issue and said strict action needs to be taken.

“What will serving notices achieve? Students need to be tested for drugs,” he said.

Mehmood alleged that the administration and employees of private schools are also involved and that owners are providing patronage.

The committee decided to form a joint action committee, comprising DG Narcotics, DG FIA, chairman PERA and others, to tackle the issue. The joint action committee has been assigned to present a report in ten days.

Drug peddlers continue to rule schools and varsities in Islamabad

All sorts of intoxicants are available on the campuses in Islamabad, students revealed, despite claims by authorities to have busted a major gang.

Liquor, cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy - all drugs are easily available on the varsity campus, students told Geo News team, as they visited Quaid e Azam University in the federal capital.

Among these, liquor is bootlegged to students at the doorstep. The peddlers charge Rs500-Rs2000, depending upon the intoxicant demanded by pupils. The gangsters even use some of the students as their 'front man,' who were in return offered concession in price.

Earlier, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Intelligence deployed special surveillance teams and informers to monitor activities of gangs involved in supplying drugs to educational institutions, especially in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.