Lower Chitral Police’s Community Anti-Drug Drive Shows Encouraging Early Results

Chitral: Lower Chitral Police have launched a community-level campaign to make the district a drug-free zone and raise public awareness, and its initial results have been described as encouraging. District Police Officer Muhammad Khalid Khan made the announcement at a press conference held after a fortnightly review meeting in his office.

He said that, under a special initiative introduced by Regional Police Officer Malakand Zahid Nawaz Marwat to curb crime, community involvement is being given top priority. According to him, strong public support at various levels has markedly improved police performance, and the force now relies more on public cooperation than on the use of force.

According to the DPO, police seized large quantities of charas, opium, ice, heroin and liquor during anti-drug operations over the past 15 days. A large cache of illegal weapons and ammunition was also recovered from various locations. All suspects involved in these operations have been arrested, he said. He added that a blind murder case in the Drosh area was traced within 24 hours, helping to ease the anxiety prevailing among local residents after the incident.

Acting on public complaints, police also launched a campaign against firecrackers. Special drives were started in Chitral Town, Garm Chashma, Ayun and Drosh to discourage reckless motorcycle riding by teenagers. Action was also taken against the illegal use of flashlights and high-intensity lights on vehicles.

The DPO also outlined the measures taken to provide foolproof security to foreign nationals working on development projects and to visitors touring the area.