Nurul Anwar, Former IGP : The big-shot drug smugglers are all beneficiaries from the time of past governments. Any strict measures taken against them will not yield any fruit for the ongoing anti-drug movement. Who are involved in the drug business? Who buys them and maintains the money? They are not simple people.
The big drug smugglers are powerful beneficiaries of the government and are all around us. Even if we see successful outcome of the operation despite not mounting pressure against them, what would transpire six months later? Nothing, no change and in the middle of it all some will lose their lives.
Those who would lose their lives, are they drug dealers in any respect? They are insignificant, mid-level drug peddlers.
They sell drugs after buying from suppliers and drug businessmen. Neither do we do condone this as well.
Such a drug epidemic was not created in a day – it took time for drug dealers to establish their decay in society. Now, those who have been working against the spread of drugs, where were they all this time? Had any proper initiatives commenced the moment they found out about this scourge, then the situation would not have deteriorated to this point. Anti-drug policies should have been adopted much earlier.
There are laws and jails to crush criminals, there are the police and the courts as well; there is also the tribunal – such organizations which are being paid for and maintained by our tax money. The recent talk of the town – can ‘crossfires’ solve the drug problem? It would be difficult. Is this course of action ethical or lawful? The law does not allow for this. No matter what crime a criminal commits, they cannot be killed through ‘crossfires’ or gunfights – this is against the law.
Nonetheless, because of this operation, drug addicts and businessmen alike are now under a sort of immense pressure unlike ever before. I’m hopeful of the success from this anti-drug operation.