Poonch Anti-Drug Campaign: Police and health authorities in Poonch convened to coordinate enforcement and rehabilitation strategies under the ongoing 100-Day Drug-Free initiative.
POONCH MIRROR NEWS DESK APRIL 22,2026
POONCH, April 22 – Police and public health administrators in this border district convened at Police Station Poonch on Tuesday to synchronize enforcement tactics with medical treatment protocols, according to statements provided by district administrative officials. The meeting forms part of a larger, government-initiated 100-Day Drug-Free Campaign currently underway in the region.
The session was conducted under the authority of Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police Shafqat Bhat, Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations) Ajay Sharma, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Parvaiz Ahmed Khan, all of whom were present to coordinate the inter-departmental strategy.
Dr. Shafiq Chouhan, Medical Superintendent of the District Hospital, attended the briefing alongside specialists from the Addiction Treatment Facility (ATF), identified in official attendance records as Dr. Femida Banday and counselor Saima Bhat. These health officials provided clinical guidance to law enforcement on the physiological signs of acute withdrawal and the standard operating procedures for emergency medical referrals.
According to a district police spokesperson, the primary focus of the closed-door deliberations was to address specific gaps in the current enforcement network. The discussions included directives to Station House Officers and NDPS enforcement officers regarding the streamlining of custody-to-care transitions. Officials said the goal is to ensure individuals detained for personal use are not merely processed through the legal system but are also directed toward rehabilitation services accessible at the District Hospital’s ATF center.
The meeting was also attended by a contingent of uniformed police personnel and several local residents, whose participation was described by organizers as voluntary. A district administrator, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to address press directly, noted that the high visibility of the event was intended to signal a community-based response to the narcotics trade, which has historically exploited the district’s unique geographic proximity to the Line of Control.
“The purpose of this 100-day push is not simply to increase arrest figures,” the official stated. “We are attempting to map out how law enforcement and healthcare can function as a single, continuous intervention. You cannot separate the crime of trafficking from the public health crisis of addiction.”
Speakers at the event emphasized that dismantling the drug ecosystem in Poonch requires a synchronized approach that links law enforcement’s monitoring function with the medical community’s responsibility to offer care to the voiceless and vulnerable.
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