Thousands join Nasha Mukt Bharat Run in early-morning anti-drug drive
Syed Khaled Shahbaaz
HYDERABAD – Telangana Minority Welfare and Public Enterprises Minister Mohammed Azharuddin on Friday administered an oath for a ‘drug-free India’ to thousands of students and urged youth and children to stay away from narcotics and addictive substances.
He was speaking at the Nasha Mukt Bharat Run, organised by the Wakeup Humanity Organisation at Sanjeevaiah Park here on the occasion of Children’s Day.
Addressing the gathering, Azharuddin stressed that the fight against drugs “must begin with awareness, discipline and collective responsibility,” adding that “the rise in substance addiction poses a serious threat to families, communities, and the future of young people”.
Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutional Society (TMREIS) President Faheem Qureshi lauded the organisation for its efforts, warning that the “surge in addiction has led to children harming their parents, jeopardising their careers, and endangering their future”. He said even celebrities should come forward to endorse anti-drug campaigns, undergo periodic blood tests, and share the reports publicly to promote awareness and accountability.
Minister for Minority Welfare and Public Enterprises Mohammad Azharuddin releases doves during the Nasha Mukt Bharat Run organised by Wakeup Humanity Organisation in Hyderabad on Friday.
Around 3,000 students from various schools participated in the early-morning run, many holding placards declaring “Drugs Have No Religion,” “Don’t Let Drugs Control You,” and “Say No to Drugs, Yes to Life,” as speakers highlighted the irreversible physical and mental damage caused by substance abuse. Several private schools also joined the event.
Iftekhar Shareef, organisation’s USA Director and the first Overseas Citizen of India, urged parents to maintain a watchful eye on their children’s activities, whereabouts, and peer circles. He emphasised that the movement for a drug-free society must begin at home with discipline, adding that Hyderabad’s anti-narcotics enforcement efforts can be more effective only when families take equal responsibility.
Telangana State Minorities Commission Chairman Tariq Ansari also lauded the organisation’s initiative and encouraged students to remain drug-free.
Students of VIP International School poses with placards to show that drugs have no religion.
DSP Narcotics Saidulu, Mal Reddy Rangareddy, Congress General Secretary and NGO’s USA President Iftekhar Shareef, Youth Ambassador Mohammed Asaduddin, legal advisor Syed Wasay, former MLA Mallareddy, Director VIP International Schools Mujtaba Aamir, senior Congress leaders, religious leaders, and representatives of various schools were also present.
Campaign founder and president of the Wakeup Humanity Organisation, Syed Noor, appealed to citizens to remain vigilant, educate their children and neighbours about the harmful effects of drugs, and support the initiative so that the message can be taken “not just across states, but globally.”
The campaign was launched in August in Delhi, in the presence of more than a dozen Members of Parliament along with several religious and social changemakers. The campaign later kicked off in Hyderabad on Friday morning and will raise awareness through sports runs, rehabilitation initiatives and other outreach activities, said Noor.
