ISLAMABAD - Former interior minister and Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms on Wednesday urged the youth to play a vital role in nation-building and against drug abuse.  

Talking to a delegation of Youth Council Pakistan, he said that youth have the power to develop a country and change the fate of the nation, and help in moving forward and determine the future of the country. The delegation included students from various universities across the country and was led by Muhammad Shehzad Khan. 

Rehman Malik said that there are reports that drug abuse is increasing day-by-day in educational institutions so he would like to advise the students to protect them and their colleagues from the scourge of drugs.  

He stressed that the government should take action on war footings to eradicate the menace of illicit drugs from educational institutions. He advised the students to play their role to curb drug abuse in educational institutions by using their abilities.  

Malik said that drugs destroy youth’s health, future, families, and the whole society. He said that drugs increase crimes in the society and destroy nations. He said, “Our history has witnessed that youth had played a very important role in all movement so I urge you all to play a role against drug abuse.” 

Rehman Malik stressed that no country in the world can develop and progress unless it gives standard education to the young generation.

Answering questions from students, he said that security situation in Afghanistan is chaotic at the moment which directly impacts Pakistan.  

He said that Pakistan has already suffered a lot both in terms of loss of precious lives and huge devastation of infrastructure and economy due to the war on terror and situation in Afghanistan.   

He said that United States left Afghanistan without a withdrawal strategy which would prove highly detrimental to regional peace and stability. He said that it would have been better if the United States had formed an interim government before leaving Afghanistan. He said that US forces could not establish peace in Afghanistan and left without any result. 

Malik urged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to engage Taliban and all other factions in dialogue for peace in Afghanistan. He said that war is not the solution to Afghanistan or any other problem. 

On the occasion, members of the Student Youth Council apprised Rehman Malik of the problems being faced by them and thanked him for his lecture on the current affairs.