Punjab Counter Narcotics Force launched

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has expressed hope that the menace of drugs will be eradicated from the province by the Punjab Counter Narcotics Force (CNF).

Addressing the launching ceremony of the CNF, she said, "Pakistan's population includes 65 per cent youth who need to be protected from drugs."

She said, "The establishment of a strong counter narcotics force in a short period of time is highly commendable. Drugs will soon be eradicated from the entire province with the establishment of the CNF. When I took oath for assuming the office of the chief minister, I received requests from parents to protect their children from the menace of drugs. It is highly regrettable and a tragedy that drugs are being transported to every street, neighborhood, every university and every school."

She said the establishment of a specialised force for the eradication of drugs was necessary and most talented people had been selected for it.

The force has become functional in all divisions and will function in all districts soon.

The chief minister said 12,000 applications had been received for recruitment in the force and 850 of them had been selected.

She outlined, "Just as every disease cannot be cured with a single pill, similarly crime cannot be eradicated with a single force. There was a dire need for the establishment of a specialised department to solve the problems of a large chunk of population. Whenever any problem arises in Punjab, the commissioners and deputy commissioners are called upon to redress the grievance at the earliest, on which they leave all their other administrative work and focus their attention towards the assigned task."

She said an authority had also been established to counter inflation, hoarding, encroachment and land mafia.

The chief minister said, "The Punjab government is establishing specialised forces to eliminate every problem at a swift pace. A specialised Crime Control Department in Punjab Police has controlled and reduced the crime rate in a few weeks only. With the formation of CCD, criminals are finding no place to hide and surrendering to the police."