Milpitas(California): Expressing deep anguish over the continuing devastation caused by drugs in Punjab and the heartbreaking destruction of families, North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) Executive Director Satnam Singh Chahal has called upon the Punjab Government to immediately issue a comprehensive, transparent and evidence-based White Paper on the state’s drug crisis.
Chahal said Punjab’s drug problem can no longer be treated as merely a matter of statistics, arrests or government press statements. Behind every photograph of a young person who has died is a grieving mother, a devastated sister, a shattered spouse, children who may have lost their father and a family whose future has been permanently altered.
“These are not numbers. These are mothers’ tears. These are sisters who have lost their brothers, children who have lost their fathers and families whose homes have been turned into places of permanent grief,” Chahal said.
He said the daily appearance of drug-related deaths in newspapers and on social media must not become so routine that society begins to accept them as an unavoidable part of life in Punjab.
“A photograph may appear in a newspaper for one day, but the grief of that mother does not disappear the next morning. For her, the day she lost her child lasts for the rest of her life,” he said.
NAPA DEMANDS A FULL ACCOUNT FROM THE GOVERNMENT
Chahal said that if the Punjab Government is serious about its campaign against drugs, the people have a right to see a complete and transparent account of what has actually been achieved.
“How many major trafficking networks have been dismantled? How many significant traffickers have been arrested? How many cases have reached the courts? How many convictions have been secured? How much illegally acquired property has been confiscated? How effectively are financial trails being investigated? How many people suffering from addiction have received treatment? How many have successfully completed rehabilitation? How many investigations and cases remain pending?” he asked.
NAPA said the proposed White Paper must not become another government document highlighting only achievements. It must also disclose failures, gaps, delays, pending investigations, administrative shortcomings and areas where government action has not produced the promised results.
“If the government has confidence in its performance, there should be no fear of putting the complete record before the people,” Chahal said.
“POLITICIANS REMEMBER DRUGS DURING ELECTIONS MOTHERS REMEMBER THEIR CHILDREN EVERY DAY”
Chahal also questioned the repeated use of the drug crisis in political campaigns.
He said that whenever elections approach, drug eradication again becomes a major political slogan. Promises are made, campaigns are announced and declarations of a “drug-free Punjab” are repeated. But after the political campaign ends, thousands of families continue to fight their battles quietly.
“Politicians may remember the drug issue when elections arrive, but a mother who has lost her son remembers him every single day,” Chahal said.
He added:
“Punjab does not want to know how many slogans were raised. Punjab wants to know how many lives were saved.”
TARGET THE DRUG NETWORKS HELP THOSE TRAPPED IN ADDICTION
NAPA emphasized that Punjab’s drug policy must clearly distinguish between people suffering from addiction and organized networks that profit from drug trafficking.
A young person trapped in addiction needs access to treatment, counselling, rehabilitation and an opportunity to rebuild life. At the same time, organized trafficking networks and those who profit from the illegal drug trade require effective investigation and prosecution.
“If we continue to focus only on the person found with drugs while failing to dismantle the larger networks that supply those drugs, we will never address the root of the problem,” Chahal said.
He said the fight against drugs must also be connected with education, employment, sports, skill development, mental and social support, family intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
Young people need not only warnings; they need hope, opportunity and a meaningful future.
“A MOTHER DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER PRESS RELEASE—SHE WANTS HER SON BACK”
In an emotional appeal, Chahal said:
“A mother does not need another government press release. She wants her son back. A sister does not need another slogan about a drug-free Punjab. She wants her brother back. A child does not need another government advertisement. That child wants a father to come home.”He said the success of Punjab’s anti-drug campaign should not be measured merely by rallies, slogans, press conferences or publicity campaigns.
The real measure of success should be how many young lives were protected, how many families were prevented from falling apart, how many people received effective treatment and rehabilitation, and how many organized trafficking networks were actually dismantled.NAPA called upon the Punjab Government to issue a time-bound and publicly accessible White Paper covering the current drug situation, government action, arrests, prosecutions, convictions, property confiscations, financial investigations, treatment and rehabilitation efforts, pending cases and investigations, administrative gaps and a clearly defined future action plan.
Chahal said Punjab has reached a point where political statements must give way to measurable accountability.“Punjab’s mothers have cried enough. They do not need more promises. They need answers. They do not need more slogans. They need results,” he said.
He added:
“The tears of a mother cannot be calculated in a government file, but the questions behind those tears must be answered. When a mother speaks to the photograph of her son, she is not speaking only to her son. She is speaking to the conscience of Punjab.”