ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on October 16 warned of criminal cases against principals if students caught taking drugs on their school premises.
IHC Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas also directed the Ministry of Interior, Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police to submit a comprehensive report detailing measures taken to curb the spread of narcotics in educational institutions, stressing the need for tangible enforcement over mere awareness campaigns.
Justice Minhas issued the directive while hearing a petition filed by the Lucky Foundation through Advocate Kashif Ali Malik, which raised alarm over the increasing prevalence of drugs in federal educational institutions.
During the hearing, DSP Legal Sajid Cheema submitted a report on behalf of the capital police, apprising the court that a total of 1,314 cases had been registered in the current year, leading to the arrest of 1,408 accused.
Court told over 1,300 drug cases registered this year led to arrest of 1,408 suspects in Islamabad
From the areas surrounding educational institutions, 22 suspects were apprehended in as many cases, with recoveries including three kilogrammes of heroin, three kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine (Ice) and 18 kilogrammes of hashish.
The report also highlighted that the ICT Police had launched a dedicated awareness initiative under the banner “No More Addiction”.
However, Justice Minhas appeared unconvinced by the emphasis on seminars and campaigns, observing that such efforts were insufficient in the face of an escalating crisis.
“Awareness alone will not work, monitoring will have to be done,” he remarked, adding that students’ lunch boxes should be checked and no external food deliveries allowed on school premises.
He directed that police officials visit all educational institutions where cases had been registered and submit follow-up reports to the court. The judge questioned the structure and functioning of school-level monitoring mechanisms.
“How are schools forming committees themselves? This is a sensitive matter — their performance reports should be presented before the court,” he said.
Advocate Malik argued that institutions or staff found complicit in drug-related activities should be blacklisted and action should be mandatory.
He further suggested that school principals and owners be held accountable in the event of a drug-related complaint.
Responding to this, the court directed the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira) to ensure that its Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) explicitly provide for action against school administrators where such complaints arise.
Peira informed the court that in May this year, it had issued directives to all private schools up to intermediate level, declaring campuses ‘Drug-Free’ and ‘Smoke-Free Zones’.
The directives included a ban on external food and package deliveries during school hours, mandatory monitoring of staff, and enhanced coordination with parents to maintain vigilance.
The police report also stated that from January 1 to April 22, 2025, a total of 689 drug-related cases had been registered and 709 suspects arrested, with recoveries including 255kg of heroin, 126kg of hashish, and over 40kg of Ice.
Justice Minhas underscored the urgency of confronting the menace, remarking that if drugs were found on a campus, the institution’s administration would be held directly responsible. He directed police to interrogate arrested suspects specifically about whether they had supplied drugs to any school, college, or university.
“The slogan is heard by the whole of Pakistan — now it has to be shown practically,” the judge remarked, referring to the publicised anti-drug campaigns.
The court adjourned further proceedings, directing all relevant institutions to submit a detailed compliance report covering the period from January to September 2025 at the next hearing.
Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2025.
