Pakistan rejects bill seeking compulsory drug testing of students at educational institutions

ISLAMABAD - A proposal to introduce a bill making drug testing mandatory for students was rejected on Wednesday amid existing laws in the National Assembly.

Local media reports said that the bill was submitted by Shakila Luqman, a lawmaker in the Pakistan Muslim League, while the United Pakistani Representatives, Salahuddin and Akbar Chitrali supported it.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives called for a vote.  At least 50 lawmakers voted against the bill, with only six members supporting it.

The reports quoted the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives as saying that Shakila Luqman, who presented the bill, also voted against it.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Morteza Javed Abbasi revealed that the law is already in place to examine student samples, while the Higher Education Authority (HEC) and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) have asked students to avoid the danger of drugs.  I work to create awareness.

The members of the House of Representatives also hinted that the passage of the proposed legislation will have financial and psychological effects on students and their parents.

Lawmakers previously called for tougher measures as educational institutions, especially universities in the federal capital, increasingly turned into drug dealers.  Well-known private schools were not far from the reach of drug dealers.

In 2018, more than 6000 cases of drug abuse were reported, while the metropolitan administration also arrested dozens of drug dealers.