News Desk |
The nephew of Minister of State for Interior, Shehryar Afridi, was arrested for possession of contraband. This news broke on Sunday night, coming as a major development considering the fact that the interior minister is a vocal activist against drugs and has launched an extensive campaign against narcotics.
Afridi’s nephew, identified as Talal Nadir Afridi, was arrested alongside two of his friends. Almost half a kilograms of hashish was recovered from them, the sources added. A first information report (FIR) was filed against the three suspects on December 11, 2018, in the Jand Attock police station. The FIR states that the suspects were stopped by police after the car was deemed suspicious.
I am organizing the youngsters of all educational institutions and soon they will be defending Pakistan’s case on social media and all other fronts,” the minister said.
It further revealed that the three had tried to flee by speeding the car but after a chase were ultimately surrounded by the police, subsequent to which the 507 grams of hashish were found. Moreover, according to the FIR, the current address that was given by Afridi was of the Minister Colony in Islamabad. The suspects were arrested and sent to jail. Sources, however, said Talal Nadir Afridi had been bailed out.
While Afridi has been bailed out, a statement by the Ministry of Interior quoted by the local press responded to the news of his arrest with a statement saying that everyone is equal in front of the law regardless of what stature they hold.
Read more: Ice drug in Pakistan
‘The law will forge its own way regardless of whether someone is a minister or a minister’s relative. No one can influence the law enforcement agencies (LEAs)’, it added. No one, hiding behind the excuse of any incident, can become a hindrance in the Interior Ministry’s war against land-grabbers and drug mafia, it noted.
Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi had claimed on Tuesday, 18th December, that as many as 75 percent female students of the federal capital are addicted to stimulating drugs, including ice and crystal meth; whereas almost 45 percent of male students too are substance abusers. The statement had made headlines and rounds on the social media, GVS earlier reported.
It is known that such South Asian cities manage to sell the cheapest marijuana in the world, approximately priced from Rs.100 to Rs.500 for a gram of lower quality.
A Senate committee had summoned a report from the minister following his serious statements. The Senate committee had expressed serious concerns over the State Minister’s statements and had asked him to submit a detailed report on the statistics. The unprecedented crackdown, Afridi said, had been launched against the drug mafia on the special directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan and no one will be allowed to mar the future of the country’s younger generations.
He also warned all politicians, police officials, and media persons against supporting drug barons. “Under the premier’s future strategy, youth will be taken forward as the frontline soldiers of Pakistan. I am organizing the youngsters of all educational institutions and soon they will be defending Pakistan’s case on social media and all other fronts,” the minister said.
Read more: Bari Imam: A heaven for drug dealers?
In an alarming development, Karachi, where marijuana is illegal, has been ranked as the second-largest consumer of cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed, among 120 cities, according to a study by Seedo, an Israel-based company that sells devices to grow marijuana at home.
The next-door neighbor, India’s New Delhi and Mumbai are placed among the top 10 cities of the world with the highest rate of marijuana’s consumption per year, confirmed by Seedo’s 2018 Cannabis Price Index.
Read more: Pakistan’s Growing Challenge: Drug Use & Abuse…
It is known that such South Asian cities manage to sell the cheapest marijuana in the world, approximately priced from Rs.100 to Rs.500 for a gram of lower quality.