The problem of uncontrolled drugs in our beloved world, is increasing at an increasing rate. Due to this, families are becoming helpless. Just one drug addict in a house means a black shadow of unrest falls on the entire house. Today’s drug addict is tomorrow’s drug dealer. The increase in drug addicts means that our mothers and sisters are being tortured more. Drug addicts torture women more for drug money. Suicide statistics show that drug addicts are committing suicide comparatively more. Drug addicts are also ahead in the statistics of divorce between husband and wife. Although in negligible numbers, women are also becoming drug addicts today. There are also minors in this list. Statistics on eve teasing, dowry and violence against women show that drug addicts are a few steps ahead in these activities. Statistics on human trafficking show that most of their members are drug addicts. Statistics on court cases show that drug-related cases are increasing at an increasing rate. The statistics of cases, complaints and GDs filed in the police stations of the country show that drug addicts are a few steps ahead. The Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has appointed the largest number of authorities to control drugs. The Directorate of Narcotics Control under the Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs is working on this issue. There are offices in all districts of Bangladesh under this department. Each division has an office headed by an Additional Director with a rank of officer. The Divisional Officer works as the Divisional Coordinator. The Divisional Commissioner is the President of the Divisional Narcotics Control Committee. The Deputy Commissioner is the President of the District Narcotics Control Committee and the Additional District Magistrate plays a very important role in this regard. The Upazila Nirbahi Officer is the President of the Upazila Narcotics Control Committee. Almost every office of the Bangladesh Police at the field level works on drug control. A significant number of cases are related to drugs in the police stations of Bangladesh. Executive Magistrates regularly conduct anti-drug campaigns.

Through the above activities, the Bangladesh government spends billions of taka every year and employs thousands of manpower, but the country has become a haven for drug users, drug dealers and international smugglers. One of the reasons for this is the unprotected borders, the protectors themselves becoming the smugglers. A section of politicians and law enforcement agencies are involved in the drug trade.

The biggest reason for uncontrolled drugs is that public awareness programs are completely showy and insufficient compared to the need. The Bangladesh government is taking a strategy of controlling drugs by relying on force, giving less importance to awareness programs. Currently, more than a hundred rehabilitation centers have been established in Bangladesh for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts. Most of them are without shields or swords. Many rehabilitation centers torture drug addicts instead of providing treatment. Families get fed up and send their children to these centers, the expenses in these centers are also quite high. Some rehabilitation centers have no other work except filling their own pockets. Some drug rehabilitation centers routinely beat the drug addicts admitted three times a day, numb them, inject them with injections and put them to sleep. However, there are only a handful of good rehabilitation centers.

It is possible to successfully build a drug-free Bangladesh by working hand in hand in a friendly environment and at a comparatively low cost by using simple opportunities such as awareness programs, without creating hostility by using force. There are currently about 80 million students in Bangladesh. Most countries in the world do not have such a large population. There are only two domestic and international government recommended and approved organizations in Bangladesh at the private level to make about 80 million young people aware of harmful addictions through anti-drug activities. Which is unbelievable but true. The name of the domestic government approved organization is Pratibha Education Development and Welfare Society. The name of the international organization is Freedom International Entry Alcohol. One of the characteristics of the work of the two organizations is not to show off, but to build an educational environment free from harmful addictions (including drugs). The two organizations do not advertise on cheap popularity machines like Facebook and YouTube. The two organizations have already distributed about 20 million free leaflets in Bangladesh. The two institutions work to instill anti-drug attitudes among students through discussions, rallies, counseling, seminars, and projection of anti-drug video footage. Another exceptional feature of the two institutions is that they do not carry out any activities without the approval, recommendation, and involvement of the relevant departments of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

I will briefly mention some of the turning points in my life in 2011-2012 while working in this organization. At that time, I was very young. After receiving the responsibility of an international anti-drug organization, I had to move from state to state, from one country to another in India and from one district to another in Bangladesh to work tirelessly to build a drug-free world. Since I had very little experience, instead of adopting wisdom or strategy, I became emotional and stubborn, which led to the wrath of a class of miscreants. I had to live a life of misery for a long time in this incident. Since these miscreants are the right hands of the ruling government’s top man, even the top officials of the state’s law enforcement agencies are helpless against them.

Yaba was just starting to gain popularity as a drug. I used to see stories of Yaba beauties in the newspapers at that time. That means that girls had just started using Yaba.

I used to give anti-drug concerts. The concerts would start with my speech. At one point, I started speaking out against yaba dealers. I started giving programs in universities.

One day, a man called me on my cell phone from Cox’s Bazar and said he wanted to meet me. The call was made through international roaming. I was in the Philippines at the time. He said he wanted to make a deal with me. He also said that they were willing to provide a large amount of financial assistance. I thought they might be willing to cooperate in the anti-drug program. After I came to Dhaka, I asked him to meet me. He immediately said that he requested you not to organize a program against Yaba. Say against everything including alcohol, marijuana, and pencidyl, that we are also with you. In return, accept this check. I was amazed when I took the check in my hand. I had never seen so much money in a check in my life and had never thought of it. I immediately tore the check into four pieces and threw it in his face. I asked him to sit down. As soon as I called the police from my mobile, he started running away. I informed the then Inspector General of Bangladesh Police about the matter. After three days, he told me that their hands were very strong. After seeing me, he advised me to move carefully.

In the last week of July 2012, i.e. after Eid, an anti-drug concert was organized at Daudpur Degree College in Nawabganj Upazila of Dinajpur district by the courtesy of Freedom International Anti-Alcohol. I confirmed that I would participate in the program. Suddenly, I received a call from the Intelligence Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and asked me not to participate in any program without security. I asked the organizers of the program at Daudpur Degree College to deliver my letter to the local police station. As soon as the program started, the officer-in-charge of the concerned police station came and sat next to me. He requested that it was the Hili border area and that I finish my speech within 15 minutes. He also said that he should get the opportunity to perform at least four songs by the end of the concert. I gave him permission to perform four songs. However, I ignored his words and spoke for 25 minutes. I mentioned that some people from the Hili border were involved in drug smuggling and presented some evidence. I was wrong here. Because these were not my job, my job was to raise awareness. At the end of the concert, the officer in charge of the police station grabbed me and requested me to leave for Dhaka immediately and secured his police station area. As soon as I reached Dhaka, my colleagues requested leave as it was after Eid. I gave everyone leave and left for Sylhet for the next program. I checked into a hotel in the suburbs. On the way from the hotel to the program at MC College, I was kidnapped. The police in Sylhet took me to the India-Bangladesh border and untied my blindfold. After 16 long hours of blindfolding, they took me to the Jessore border and into India. International drug dealers tried to drug me. But every time I vomited. I kept saying Allahu Akbar over and over. They failed till the end. They tried to destroy my vocal cords. I became physically and mentally ill. They seized my international credit and debit cards and took all the money. The international organization gave them 26 million taka for my release. As a gift from them, I am still working today with the pronunciation of several letters and characters on my vocal cords. The drug smugglers gave me several conditions for my release. Among them, I was hurt when they told me that the three novels I had written about the harmful effects of drugs and the miserable lives of drug addicts would never be published. One of them was written in English and was called Alcohol Is Not Cool, It Makes a Man Like a Fool. I had to work very hard for this novel. They also gave me the condition that the content of the novels would be permanently destroyed. I agreed. Because when the unequal agreement called the Treaty of Hudaibiyah came to my mind, which was a treaty concluded between the people of Medina and the Quraysh tribe in the month of Dhul-Qad, 6th Hijri (March 628 AD). It was an unequal treaty. In which the interests of the Muslims were grossly violated. The companions were crushed. Yet the Prophet (PBUH) agreed to conclude this agreement.

The Indian government rescued me. At one point, after receiving positive reports from all sides, the Indian government provided me with advanced medical treatment and returned me to Bangladesh with dignity. I took this incident as fate. I came back after completing my three chillas in Tablighi Jamaat and forgave the kidnappers. May Allah guide everyone. Amen.

As soon as I returned to Bangladesh, all the Directorates of Education, the Directorate of Health and the Bangladesh University Grants Commission gave national approval and recommendation to the anti-drug program of the institution. The Police Headquarters, Special Branch and Dhaka Metropolitan Police investigated the institution for a long time and gave recommendations to provide security to the institution and me. It was clearly observed in the report that these two institutions are the only campus-based government recognized organizations in Bangladesh. They clearly confirmed the truth of the kidnapping incident in the report. After receiving the report, the Directorate of Primary Education, the regions of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, the Directorate of Health, the Bangladesh Directorate of Technical Education and the Bangladem University Grants Commission requested all the relevant branches of the law enforcement agencies to provide security to the activities of the institution and to provide my personal security. Later, in 2022, the Police Headquarters again instructed the concerned police station to provide my personal security through the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Dear readers. You will be happy to know that. Although most of the kidnapping gangs were allies of the recently overthrown government, they had to flee the country while their political party was in power. Allah Almighty says in the Quran, “O my servants, plan, for I am Allah, who is more strategic than you.”

I would tell the younger generation not to be as rigid and uncompromising as I am, but to work with good strategy. It is permissible in Islam to adopt good strategy. However, under no circumstances should it be a trick, a trick, or a conspiracy. Let us all be honest and brave. Remember, this beautiful world is not for the clever, but for the intelligent.

However, my comfort in this incident is that those who loved the people of this country the most, such as Nawab Sirajuddaula, his predecessors and many great patriots later, were killed by their loved ones. I am an insignificant person. Finally, it can be said that a drug-free Bangladesh can only be achieved with an uncompromising attitude and good tactics.