President of Awami Tehreek Advocate Vasand Thari. Photo: Courtesy — Facebook
HYDERABAD:
Awami Tehreek President Advocate Vasand Thari on Sunday drew parallels between the historic opium wars in China and what he described as the widespread spread of narcotics in Sindh, claiming the province is facing a “drug war”.
Addressing his party’s three-day education and training workshop in Hyderabad, Thari said the opium war had been imposed on China to subjugate the Chinese nation and claimed that a similar strategy was now being used against Sindh through the uncontrolled spread of drugs.
He lamented that drugs like crystal meth (ice), hashish, opium, cannabis, gutka, mawa and mainpuri were being openly sold on the streets as if they were ordinary commodities. Thari also claimed that certain policemen had earlier been exposed for involvement in smuggling and supplying these drugs to shops and kiosks.
“People cannot export or import even basic commodities like tomatoes, potatoes or onions to and from Afghanistan or India without restrictions, yet drugs are smuggled across the borders with ease,” he said, adding that the situation suggested a “well-planned drug campaign” targeting the province.
Thari claimed that the youth of Sindh were pushed towards drug addiction to divert them from social and political struggles, making it easier for what he called “looters” to exploit the province’s resources.
He called on civil society and intellectuals to play an active role in combating drug addiction and raising awareness of its impact on society.
Referring to water problems, the Awami Tehreek leader said the prosperity of Sindh depended on the Indus River and warned that any threat to the river was a threat to the civilization of the province. “No external invader ever took our river but the present rulers are trying to do so,” he alleged.
Thari also commented on the regional situation, praising Iran’s response to what he described as an “imperialist war imposed by the US and Israel.” He said Iran deserved support to defend its homeland against foreign aggression and claimed the country had gained psychological benefits in the ongoing conflict. However, he criticized the Western media, accusing them of taking a biased position in favor of the US and Israel.
