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  • The most used drugs in Pakistan

    The most used drugs in Pakistan

    It’s World International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and though Pakistani authorities keep talking about cracking down drug abuse in the country, it’s unfortunate that the number of drug users have increased in the country. Statistics on the number of drug users in the country are not as easily available as the drugs themselves but the fact remains that drug abuse is a cause for concern. Earlier this year, minister Shahryar Afridi claimed that 75% of students in Islamabad’s educational institutions are drug addicts.

    We did some research on which drugs are the most popular among teenagers and the results are listed below. This article can serve as a guide to parents and friends and help them identify if those around them are using drugs.

    Coke

    Cocaine is allegedly the most popular drug among the youth, though a gram of coke can cost between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000 depending on the quality. News reports also suggest that overdose of it is the reason behind so many young deaths in the country.

    Hash (chars)

    Hash or weed, locally known as chars, has become very popular among the youth so much so that it is no longer considered a drug. It is either rolled into a cigarette and smoked or people add it to their sheesha for a stronger effect. 100 grams of chars cost Rs 1500 depending on where you get it from. You can roll about 25 cigarettes with 100 grams of chars.

    LSD

    Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD for short, is a hallucinogenic drug. Depending on the strip potency, this drug can cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4000.

    Crystal Meth/Ice

    Use of meth and ice has drastically increased in our country. The powder-like substance, which can keep you alert and active for hours, typically costs around 500,000 rupees for a kilo.

    Ecstasy

    The ecstasy drug is available in the form of a pill which can cost between Rs 2500 and Rs 4000, depending on the variation.

    MDMA

    MDMA, better known as molly, is a compound of the ecstasy pill. Its price is approximately Rs 9000 per gram and one typically swallows it to feel high. However, it can also be smoked.

  • The Current’s Favorite TikTok Videos

    The Current’s Favorite TikTok Videos

  • A nightmare full of trash: Indian wedding leaves behind 4000 kgs of garbage

    A nightmare full of trash: Indian wedding leaves behind 4000 kgs of garbage

    Two weddings that cost INR 200 crore (approx PKR 400 crore) left behind mountains of garbage in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. According to media reports and videos online, 4,000 kg of garbage was left behind.

    The Gupta family from South Africa was behind the nightmare. They hosted two weddings of their sons Suryakant and Shashank Gupta at a hill-station, Auli, between June 18 and 22.

    Bride Kritika Singhal is the daughter of diamond merchant Suresh Singhal, and groom Suryakant is the son of industrialist Ajay Gupta

    Two grand wedding stages, as well as a glasshouse with floral arrangements from flowers that were flown in specially from Switzerland, were set up to celebrate the festivities. The guests were also flown in via special choppers. Many superstars including Katrina Kaif, Badshah and Kalaish Kher also performed at the functions.

    These wedding functions left behind a huge mess of leftover petals, foam, food and plastic among other things in the region, known to be ecologically fragile. The local municipal corporation is cleaning up mountains of trash left behind after the Gupta family deposited INR 54,000 with the Corporation. The Guptas have also agreed to pay the entire cost of cleaning up.

  • Army builds girls’ school in place of TTP militant Hakimullah Mehsud’s headquarters

    Army builds girls’ school in place of TTP militant Hakimullah Mehsud’s headquarters

    Pakistan Army has rebuilt a girls school for higher secondary education where once existed the headquarters of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant Hakimullah Mehsud, a private media outlet reported.

    The school, located in the Orakzai Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Kohat division, was completely destroyed during the war on terror and later converted into the headquarters of Mehsud, who was the deputy to TTP commander Baitullah Mehsud.

    With the war abated after years of unrest, Pakistan Army has rebuilt the school at the same spot.

    The TTP has been a strong adversary of the idea of sending girls to schools. The militant group claims “educating women goes against Islam”.

    In 2012, Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai was also shot by the Taliban after advocating for girls’ education using a pen name, bringing global attention to the group’s violent threat on the nation’s young women.

  • Swat’s Malam Jabba ski resort gets a zip line

    Swat’s Malam Jabba ski resort gets a zip line

    Swat’s famed Malam Jabba ski resort has a new attraction: a zip line. The zip line, which is the highest in Pakistan at 9,200 feet, has been installed in the resort to attract tourists from all over the country and the world.

    The newly installed zip line is approximately 1,000 feet (90 metre) high and about 2,000 feet (550 metre) long, while its speed can reach up to 80 kilometres per hour. Just imagine the views and adrenaline rush you’re going to get.

    Ever since it was opened, tourists have thronged to the new tourist attraction, zip-lining to their heart’s content. Speaking to different media outlets, the tourists said that it was a true adventure and a unique experience for them.

    The provincial government of KPK along with the federal government have placed a lot of emphasis on developing tourism in Pakistan. In fact, KP Tourism Minister Atif Khan in a recent media talk revealed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is planning to start a helicopter service to make it easier for people to reach popular tourist spots.

  • ‘Qatari emir brokering deal for Nawaz, Maryam to leave Pakistan’

    ‘Qatari emir brokering deal for Nawaz, Maryam to leave Pakistan’

    Senior journalist and analyst Arif Nizami has said that Qatar
    is reportedly brokering a deal between the government and former prime minister
    (PM) Nawaz Sharif to secure the latter’s release.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Nizami said that Qatar was
    an old friend of Pakistan and previously involved in securing Nawaz’s release
    when former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf had arrested him after
    the 1999 coup.

    “When Musharraf came into power and detained Nawaz, the emir
    of Qatar was the first person to initiate the process for his release,” he said.

    Nizami added that up to 90 per cent of the deal had been processed to let the former PM and his daughter Maryam live in London, while sources had informed him that the “recent visit of the emir of Qatar was also linked to this task”.

    Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had arrived in
    Pakistan earlier this week and announced $3 billion worth of new investments in
    the country. He had also announced that Qatar may invest another $12 billion
    later on.

    “Sources have claimed that Nawaz’s health is not stable and
    according to his daughter Maryam, he has already suffered a stroke thrice,”
    Nizami said further.

    He claimed that under the deal, Nawaz will be allowed to pay the fine to secure his release so that he and his daughter can go and live in England. “Shehbaz and Hamza will stay here to run the party affairs and face cases leveled against them,” Nizami added.

  • Indian MP wants Abhinandan’s facial hair declared country’s ‘national moustache’

    Indian MP wants Abhinandan’s facial hair declared country’s ‘national moustache’

    An Indian parliamentarian has demanded that Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s gunslinger moustache be declared the “national moustache of India”.

    “Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman should be awarded and his moustache should be made the national moustache,” Indian National Congress (INC) leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was quoted as saying by India Today.

    On February 27, the IAF pilot was captured after Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian jets for intruding into Pakistan’s territory.

    Pakistan, as a goodwill gesture, had handed over the captured pilot to Indian authorities at Wagah border on March 1.

    According to Indian media reports, the opposition party’s leader has now argued that the pilot should be given a national honour “for his bravery”.

    Earlier, the shot down and captured Indian pilot’s facial hair had become the talk of the town as India hailed him as a “war hero”.

  • What built up to the ban on calling PM Imran Khan ‘selected’ in the National Assembly, The Current’s style

    What built up to the ban on calling PM Imran Khan ‘selected’ in the National Assembly, The Current’s style

  • ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    ‘Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide,’ Pakistan head coach talks about World Cup pressure

    Head coach of the national cricket team, Mickey Arthur, has said Pakistan’s defeat against arch-rivals India was so painful that it left him “wanting to commit suicide”, Khaleej Times reported.

    “Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide. But it was, you know, only one performance,” he was quoted as saying.

    Pakistan faced a humiliating 89-run defeat against India in Manchester on June 16, a result which sparked a furious backlash as the country’s hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals were put in grave danger.

    “It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it’s a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation and then you almost go into sort of survival mode. We’ve all been there,” Arthur said.

    While the head coach’s emotional comment may have been exaggerated to show how passionate he is about his job, some believed it was in bad taste considering former coach Bob Woolmer’s sudden death after Pakistan suffered a bruising defeat against Ireland during the 2007 World Cup.

    Pakistan lifted Arthur’s spirits with an impressive 49-run win against South Africa at Lord’s on Sunday. They now need to win their remaining three matches and improve their inferior net run-rate to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals.

    Pakistan play New Zealand in Birmingham on Wednesday.

  • Over 2,000 Afghan families told to vacate Mansehra refugee camps for CPEC security

    Over 2,000 Afghan families told to vacate Mansehra refugee camps for CPEC security

    As many as 2,397 Afghan families living in Mansehra have been served a final notice to vacate their refugee camps for the security of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), ARY News reported.

    According to reports, Mansehra Assistant Commissioner (AC) Talat Fahad has directed the refugees to leave the three camps situated in the area latest by June 30.

    “The decision has been taken to ensure the security of CPEC”, the AC said in a notification issued in this regard.

    According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Pakistan is hosting over 1.4 million Afghan refugees, making the country the second largest host of the refugee population in the world.

    Some refugees have been living in Pakistan for three generations. They have established their business here while some of them have married locals and been deeply integrated into Pakistani society.

    The interim stay of Afghan refugees extended by the Pakistani government is coming to an end on June 30, and Minister of State for States and Frontier Region Shehryar Khan Afridi has affirmed that the country supports voluntary repatriation.

    In a recent meeting, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UNHCR have agreed to launch an awareness programme to enable Afghan refugees to make a decision to voluntarily return with Pakistan’s facilitation.