Pakistan

Pakistan has highest seizures of narcotics in the world

Ppi June 26, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Narcotics Arbab Muhammad Zahir Khan has said that Pakistan has the highest seizures of narcotics in the world, which has also been appreciated by the international community.

“Pakistan has a small Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) with a total strength of just 2,400 men, yet its achievements are exemplary,” Khan said. “Pakistan has maintained the top two positions on account of morphine/heroin seizure in the world since 2003. Similarly, we have achieved the second and third position in opium seizure,” Khan said. “Pakistan’s conviction rate is 87.15 per cent and we have frozen narcotics worth 56.80 million rupees.”

Khan was speaking as the chief guest at a session organised on Saturday by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) in association with the ministry of narcotics control to mark the International Drugs Day.

“This day reminds us of our moral duty to save our near and dear ones from the curse of narcotic use” he said.

Khan said that Pakistan was right next door to Afghanistan, which had assumed the status of the major drug-producing country of the world. “At present, Afghanistan produces almost 90 per cent of the total opium in the world, and according to estimates, 30 per cent of the drugs are trafficked through Pakistan,” he said.

Speaking about the ministry’s initiatives to control narcotics use in Pakistan, he said that they had formulated a five-year drug abuse control master plan that provided a clear strategic roadmap. The new National Anti-Narcotics Policy 2010 is designed to meet new challenges and international obligations and will soon be placed before the Cabinet, he said.

Talking about narcotics trafficking from this region to Europe and beyond, Jeremy Douglas, representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said that Pakistan was critically placed in international drug trade as it shared a 2,430km-long and porous border with Afghanistan as well as with two of the most populous countries in the world. “This means that law enforcement agencies face a two-fold challenge in interdiction – first, drugs exiting Afghanistan through Pakistan and second, precursors entering Afghanistan via Pakistan,” he said, adding that more Afghan opiates pass through Pakistan than from any other country bordering Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (7)

baba jee | 14 years ago | Reply @ valarie kaul,... Actually my dear, its not the question of prevention for the biggest consumer of heroin and cocaine...it the money that pains the US more then the people who are useing the drugs. they fear that so much money is generated with the sale of these drugs that if they let this go on unchecked .. drug barons will one day be so strong financialy even more then the banks themselves..so the crack down is esential . okay hope that will answer your question why not just legalise these drugs. once i read that the whole drug world has a capicity to produce 800 billon dollars of drug money a year ..and this amount is surely much more then the budgets of many countries of the world.

Imran Khaled | 14 years ago | Reply @ Bakowas.B, China is strong today because they kicked the British and Americans out out of their country. It is simple. Blaming is not a bad thing when one wants to know the criminal roots of an activity. If some one in New York gets murdered of course you Police is going to "blame" some one. Sidelining the negative role of western countries in developing countries is criminal. Those countries which are acquiring wealth on the misery of others have to be pointed out to the world. Whether they like this blaming or not is hardly the issue. United States has encouraged drug trade in Afghanistan for decades. Heroine has no medical value and can not be sold to pharmaceuticals and legal medical opium is already cheaply available on the markets so the pharmaceuticals do not have a need to go and buy expensive black market drugs. Besides more and more analgesics are being manufactured synthetically which is cheaper and more effective. For example the synthetic Fentanyl is upto one thousand times more powerful than opium and is cheaper to manufacture by machines. Money is being spent on youths but drug problem funded by western countries will never go away if they are not kicked out of the region. When British Raj used to grow opium in India and sold it in China they used to print such rubbish in their media too that China is not spending enough on its youths and is buying ammo. One can only learn about the ways and language of devil by listening to westerner interests and lobbies. I wonder if Iran and Russia legalize drugs and levy tax on it and allow safe passage for NATO opium of Afghanistan to EU, then your ideas will definitely change. Shame on you.

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Bakowas.B | 14 years ago | Reply I was reading all the previous post,Sounds like U.S was selling drugs to all immature kids.I sale it and you buy it.Come on blaming other country and people will not solve your problem.According to you U.K was selling opium to China so you think China is like Pakistan or Iran or China is a strong country today.What happening in Pakistan is very very sad.Pakistan has to find out the solution and rectify the problem.No God is around to solve the issue.People has to do it.Same drug can be used medicinal purposes.Country can spend money on youth instead of arms and ammunition.Pakistan always blame neiboring country as enemy they need to buy arms and ammunition for protection,in the middle all the political people are making money in name of buying arms and ammunition.

Muhammad Imran | 14 years ago | Reply @Valerie Kaul, Actually, CIA brought heroine to Afghanistan to finance Taliban in 1980's, prior to that there was no heroine. Also as alleged by Iran and Russia two countries who have suffered most, the chemicals used in the process of heroine manufacturing from opium comes form Europe as Afghanistan does not have a chemical industry. One more thing is historical context. China opium trade was used by imperial UK to weaken China. One family with humble background named Forbes made their fortune then running British supplied drugs in China. The family is now one of the most respected western families. Such is the irony.

Muhammad Imran | 14 years ago | Reply In reality, Iran has the highest seizures of narcotics in the world as per United Nations drug report published annually and this has been the case for the past two decades. I do not know where the info in this article comes from but surely is not reliable. As every one knows Pakistan's anti-narcotics force is one of the most corrupt in the world. There are millions of addicts in the country precisely because of that fact. Not only that but the country is flooded by drug money specially in places like Peshawar and drug lords here have even family ties to Afghan drug dealers. It is no secret that government of Pakistan has failed to curtail the problem as almost half of the country is a no go area for the corrupt forces.

Sultan Ahmed | 14 years ago | Reply Drug free Pakistan, good idea, unique idea, but there is a question creating in my mind time and again that the person loving in Pakistan don't know that who is seller who is importer and who is exporter.? It has been selling locally with good cooperation of relevant police station locally high ups are involved in such evil business. Every street have a local selling point, it is called ''token'' price of one token Rs.50. young generation purchase it easily, police came on the selling point and receive illegal gratification then went away, this dirty business is going on under police supervision. Who will control it, who will report the matter to the high ups there are hooligans in the way and a noble man is trapped some time have to go jail in the contrary . So people avoid to interfere what is the solution of this social evil looks impossible.

Valerie Kaul | 14 years ago | Reply I have questions... Why can't Afghanistan sell it's drugs legally for medicinal purposes? Why do countries continue to spend large sums of money on trying to control the drug cartels and put lives at risks when they could tax instead and reap the benefits? Prohibition doesn't work; America has been through it and we have a thriving black market so what's the point? to which I have answers; In one fell swoop one has removed the criminal element and cut the drug barons off at the knees. At least people wouldn't die from dirty mixtures or syringes because they could get their 'fix' from their doctors or health councillors. The money saved from paying for Drug Agencies and corrupt middle men could be spent on education and the lives of people wouldn't be unnecessarily put in jeopardy as is happening in Mexico where ordinary people are being murdered on a daily basis. The money could be spent on Health establishments for those who wish to be rid of their addiction and keeping those who wish to have a daily 'fix' on stabilizing amounts. We only hear about the bad effects of drugs but there are many people who take small doses and lead productive lives. (This research was carried out in the UK some years ago) Human beings don't take kindly to being told what to do all the time - unless they are injuring other people by their actions they should be allowed to make their own decisions. This also applies to trying to curb what they read or watch on the web. Why are we being treated like children? We should be allowed to grow up!

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