A new law has been framed and forwarded to the federal cabinet for approval to tighten the noose around drug traffickers and eradicate the menace of drug from the country, said Director General (DG) Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) Major General Muhammad Arif Malik on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference, Malik said ANF through Ministry of Narcotics Control had framed and forwarded the draft bill to the cabinet for final approval. "Modern equipment is being procured through funding from the government and donors to eradicate the menace of drug from the country," he said.
He also said ANF would soon launch a mega operation against drug peddlers across the country and especially in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
To a question about smuggling of cocaine powder into Pakistan, he said that smuggling of cocaine powder had been started into Pakistan and ANF had alerted its personnel at airports to seize it at the airport and also take that matter with the countries from where it was being brought.
To another question about Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi's statement that 75 percent female students in the federal capital were drug addicts, he said that perception about drug addiction in the educational institutions of capital city was very high but the percentage might be three to four percent.
The DG ANF said that border liaison offices had been established by China and Pakistan at Tashkurgan and Khunjerab. After efforts of six years, the ANF was successful to host the '13th senior officials' triangular initiative meeting' in Pakistan which has strengthened the bilateral relations to counter drug trafficking with Iran and Afghanistan. Future roadmap for cooperation has been drafted to be approved in ministerial meeting in Kabul this year, he said.
Malik said the government was fully committed to fighting the menace of drug. Despite its constraints of manpower, equipment and financial resources, the ANF will accomplish its mission. "Efforts are underway to enhance the capacity building of ANF in strategic and operational domains," he said, adding that existing capacity of the force was planned to be increased from 3,148 to 10,000 in different phases.
He said that new regional directorate of ANF would be set up at Gwadar and seven new police stations were being established. The DG ANF said that a number of operations were conducted to prevent smuggling of drugs into and through Pakistan in close collaboration with regional and other countries. "International partners' assistance in all fields has enhanced operational efficiency of the ANF," he said.
Malik said ANF registered 1,184 cases, arrested 1,978 culprits and seized 100.26 metric tonnes of drugs and precursor chemicals of $1,195.72 million during drug enforcement operations in 2018. Internationally, 31 coordinated operations were conducted, 15.494 metric tonnes of drugs were seized and 78 criminals were arrested, he said.
He said ANF also burnt at total of 244.837 metric tonnes of narcotics worth $1 billion during multiple drug burning ceremonies. The growing use of drugs by youth is a source of concern, he said, adding that during the previous year ANF conducted 400 awareness activities especially in education institutes to educate people against drug use.
The DG ANF said ANF was currently running three model addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres in Karachi, Islamabad and Sukkur. These centers would soon be made functional at Quetta, Lahore, Hyderabad and Peshawar, he said.
He further said Pakistan was more vulnerable to drug trafficking due to increased poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. As per United Nation Officer on Drug Crime (UNODC) drug survey, estimated cultivation in Afghanistan was 6,400 metric tones of opium, which will produced 300 metric tones of heroin along with 3,400 metric tonnes of raw opium, he said.
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