SUKKUR, Nov 20: Sindh Minister for Irrigation Nadir Akmal Leghari has expressed his ignorance about the allotment of a plot which is allocated for the Sardar Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College.

In his press statement issued here on Friday, he denied press reports appearing in a section of the press.

He appealed to Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim to take notice of this allotment and suggested action against all those who were allegedly involved in the conspiracy of allotting the valuable plot reserved for the medical college in the name of an individual of Leghari tribe, who he said was a contractor of the Mari Gas Field.

He said the high officials of the gas field were playing dirty role in the allotment of the plot.

It may be recalled DCO Abdul Qadir Mangi unearthed this fraud and wrote a letter to senior officers of the Auqaf department asking them under which authority they allotted 75 acres of urban land to Mohammad Khan Leghari.

The minister said he himself was keen that medical college should be established in Sukkur which was the city's right.

DRUG ADDICTS: There are about one million drug addicts in Sindh of which 5,000 are in the Sukkur district.

This was stated by the managing director of the Shiraz Hospital at an Eid Milan Party hosted by the hospital management for District Nazim Nasir Hussain Shah on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shah lauded the role of the hospital in making drug addicts as useful people of society.

He said drug addicts deserve sympathy and medical treatment rather than hate and casting derogatory remarks against them.

He announced a grant of Rs100,000 from the district government funds and provision of Rs200,000 in the next financial budget for the hospital.

The nazim assured the management of extending full support from the Zakat and Baitul Mall funds and appealed to philanthropists to contribute a bit in this noble cause.

The managing director of the hospital briefed about the activities of the hospital and said there were about six million drug addicts in Pakistan including one million in Sindh and 5,000 in Sukkur district.

The hospital, he said, was successfully moving a head towards its goal of making drug addicts as useful people.

He claimed about 500 drug addicts had so far been rehabilitated and efforts were under way to provide relief and treatment to others.

District Naib Nazim Iqbal Dawood and IBA Sukkur Director Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui also spoke on the occasion and appreciated the role of the hospital for wretched people.