Book Exhibition Held at Famous Kabul Bridge Once Home for Drug Addicts

An exhibition of books was held on Sunday in the Pul-e-Sokhta Bridge in the west of Kabul, which was once a shelter for hundreds of drug addicts. 

The youth who attended the exhibition said that such events play a vital role in the improvement of book reading. 

Dozens including women attended the inauguration of the reconstructed area on the Pul-e-Sokhta Bridge which has now been renamed to Pul-e-Khoshbakhti, the bridge of happiness. 

The participants of the exhibition expressed optimism over such events and said the area was once known for its bad impacts but it has now turned into motivation. 

“In my opinion, the opportunities that are made for book reading in any part of Kabul are effective. It is a key area. Anyone who passes through the area can stop here and read a book,” said a Kabul resident.

The exhibition was held by the Sirat Book Publication following a campaign launched by the interior ministry’s plan to round up drug addicts from Kabul, particularly from the Pul-e-Sokhta area. 

The youth who attended the exhibition said that such events play a vital role in the improvement of book reading. 

“Fortunately, I was on the way to the training center when I saw this area. When I asked my friends, they said people can read books here,” said a resident of Kabul.  

This comes as the Kabul department of security said that Pul-e-Sokhta used to be crowded with youths who would become drug addicts.  

“Our youths used to become drug addicted here and then would lose their lives. After the Islamic Emirate swept into power, all of those youths were rounded up and mafia groups that were selling drugs to these youth have been eliminated and their factories have been destroyed and criminals have been brought to justice,” said Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul security department. 

For many years, Pul-e-Sokhta was a famous area for housing drug addicts that also included men, women and children.