Sarwar Kamal
Chitral, April 3, 2026″ A diverse group of citizens of Chitral, including prominent political figures, lawyers, religious scholars, businessmen, pharmacy store owners, health experts and social activists, came together under one roof to form the “Aanti-Drug Trafficking Chitral Forum”.
The introductory meeting held at a local hotel aimed to address the growing menace of drug trafficking and addiction, especially among the youth of Chitral. The meeting began with the recitation from the holy Quran and was presided over by Advocate Niazi. The participants expressed their grave concerns, describing drug addiction as a major cancer for our society. The members also emphasized the need for a rehabilitation and treatment centre for drug addicts in Chitral. The participants demanded to devise a mechanism to eradicate this menace from Chitral.
Following the meeting, the members of the forum met DC Chitral Rao Anwar Hashim, who appreciated and acknowledge the efforts of the forum and assured his full cooperation in this regard. He also supported the idea of establishment of anti-drug rehabilitation centre in Chitral. He directed officials concerned to convene a stakeholders’ meeting i.e DPO Chitral, DHO, pharmacy store owners, civil society, religious scholars, lawyers and law enforcing agencies to present there output to stop the menace.
At the end, the DC presented each individual of the forum with a copy of “ROSHT ISTARE”, a book aimed at the character building of 4th and 5th grade students. The members of the forum praised this noble gesture.
This is a highly commendable step by the citizens of Chitral. The involvement of religious scholars, health experts, and pharmacy owners is vital for real change. We hope the proposed rehabilitation centre becomes a reality soon.