Sit-ins to create awareness about drugs: SAD

Shifting its stand over proposed sit-ins early next month on drug smuggling, the ruling SAD today said the dharnas near the International Border will be "to create awareness about drugs" rather than "to pressurise the BSF" to stop entry of drugs from "Pakistan side".
BJP ally SAD on Sunday had announced that it will organise dharnas on the IB on January 5 to "pressurise the BSF" to stop entry of drugs from "Pakistan side".
Today, the party said it will hold dharnas at three places, and it will precede an anti-drug campaign, which the BJP President Amit Shah is set to begin on January 12 next year.

Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister and SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal had said in the party statement on Sunday that through the dharnas they will "pressurise the Border Security Force to stop drugs from entering Punjab territory from Pakistan."
But today the Shiromani Akali Dal said it will now "hold three dharnas near the International Border check points to create awareness about drugs as well as focus on the need for greater vigilance along the border with Pakistan."
A decision to this effect was taken following a preparatory meeting of 14 districts at the party office here today which was presided over by SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal, party spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said in a release.

Addressing the meeting of the senior leadership of the party here, Parkash Singh Badal said the fight against drugs was a shared responsibility of the Centre and state governments and the people of the country.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was not present at today's meeting where Badal Senior said "the SAD was not against the centre or the Border Security Force (BSF)."
"However sometimes you even have to make your own police (BSF) aware", he said adding new techniques could be used to increase surveillance at the border to end entry of drugs from across the barbed wire fencing with Pakistan.

Citing example of the United States border with Mexico, Badal said the US government had also faced similar challenges and had taken effective steps to control smuggling.
Party spokesman Cheema said the three awareness dharnas would now be held near the Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadki check points in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts respectively from 12 pm to 2 pm.
The proposed dharna at Gurdaspur has been put off and now merged with the Attari programme where party president Sukhbir Singh Badal will lead the sit-in.