<p><a href="/en/afganistan/kabul" class="glossify-link">KABUL</a> (Pajhwok): Counternarcotics Minister Salamat Azimi on Sunday said besides insecurity, narcotics and drug addiction was gripping the country like “a silent tsunami” that she said needed to be fought by all people and judiciary.</p>
<p>Her ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs (MoBTA) and physical training department, on strengthening relations and better coordination in the anti-narco fight.</p>
<p>Azimi called the tribal affairs ministry’s role as important in countering narcotics and hoped the MoU would help prevent usage and smuggling of drugs in tribal regions and borders.</p>
<p>She said the physical training department should also try to traditionalize <a href="/en/sports" class="glossify-link">sports</a> and encourage the youth to play games, a move she hoped would help reduce using or smuggling of narcotics in the country.</p>
<p>She called cultivation of narcotics a serious challenge and said, “Besides insecurity, drug business has become a silent tsunami in <a href="/en/afghanistan" class="glossify-link">Afghanistan</a> and all people and government institutions should together work for eradication of the problem.”</p>
<p>Azimi called on all people and government, private and international organs to cooperate with each other in doing away with cultivation and smuggling of drugs in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>About drug addicts’ treatment, she said currently 116 treatment centers were available in Afghanistan that could treat 40,000 addicts per year.</p>
<p>She added hard efforts were underway for prevention of narcotics cultivation, smuggling and usage. She said the ground was being paved for the youth to find work and engage in entertainment activities.</p>
<p>Ghafor Liwal, acting MoBTA minister, called narcotics a major threat and said influential individuals could play important role in reducing production, smuggling and using of drugs. For this reason, his ministry was attracting tribal elders’ cooperation, he added.</p>
<p>Deputy head of physical training department, Qasim Hamidi, said, “We are trying to promote sports among people and start a decisive campaign against narcotics.”</p>
<p>He linked drug addiction to absence of a healthy sports <a href="/en/environment" class="glossify-link">environment</a>, asking the Ministry of Urban Development to add construction of stadiums and sports gymnasiums in its plans.</p>
<p>Based on surveys, 3.5 million people are addicted to drugs in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>mds/ma</p>
