The Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, on Friday promised to bring out a comprehensive white paper on Punjab’s drug crisis if voted to power, examining the spread of the menace, deaths, supply networks and alleged political and police nexus.
The party also released a vision document on tackling the drug crisis. The leaders also launched a sharp attack on traditional political parties, accusing successive governments of failing to curb the drugs menace despite the issue remaining a major concern for Punjab for decades. The pledge was made at a well-attended conference organised by the party at Baba Bakala on Rakhar Punia, on Amritpal’s home turf, where the fledgling outfit sought to demonstrate its growing political clout ahead of the assembly elections. Amritpal’s native village Jallupur Khera falls under the Baba Bakala assembly segment While Baba Bakala falls under the Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency. “Its officers will receive specialised training to deal with drug smugglers and people affected by drug addiction. The venue was decorated with hoardings and banners carrying pictures of Sikh prisoners, slain militant leaders, human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and radical leaders who recently died abroad, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The party also pledged to provide justice to families affected by drug-related deaths and ensure the rehabilitation and resettlement of youngsters battling addiction. They also raised issues concerning the state’s youth, agriculture, river waters, employment, Punjab’s rights and Panthic matters.
The party’s acting president and Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh read out a pledge made by his son to the people of Punjab, under which the proposed white paper would examine the spread of drugs in the state, drug-related deaths, supply networks, alleged political involvement and connivance by the police and security establishment under successive governments from 1997 to 2027.
Party leaders said the document was aimed at providing a policy-based and comprehensive response to the drug crisis instead of relying merely on political rhetoric. The document said the police had failed to control the drug menace, and proposed setting up a separate force to tackle the crisis. This force will not be part of the police; rather, it will also monitor the police and other security forces and will report directly to the chief minister”, it said.
