Taloqan recreational park turns into den for drug addicts

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): A number of residents of northern Takhar province say the population of drug addicts has been on the rise in Taloqan, the provincial capital, where the addicts have turned the recreational area into a safe haven for themselves.

Habib Rahman, a religious scholar in Taloqan city, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the municipality’s recreational place had become a safe haven for drug addicts.

“Every day, I pass this road and can see a large number of drug addicts gathering in the recreational park, I feel disappointed that the recreational place has turned into a den for drug addicts."

He asked officials of the municipality to pay attention to the preservation of the park and collect the addicts.

Ahmad Navid, who sometimes visits this park for recreation, said he was discouraged to come to the park recently due to the increase in the number of drug addicts.

He added youths from all districts used to arrive in the park for picnic, but currently addicts had occupied the place and they lived there day and night and used drugs in public.

Despite attempts, Pajhwok failed to get opinion of the counternarcotics officials regarding the issue.

Earlier, Mullah Abdul Basir, director of anti-narcotics, had announced the collection of drug addicts from Taloqan city and the activation of a 40-bed hospital for drug addicts.

hz/sa/ma