Repulsed by the pervasiveness of the corruption narrative in Pakistan, European Union states are unwilling to provide direct assistance to government departments, a senior defence analyst said on Friday.
“This is the reason why they prefer to execute projects through international agencies,” Dr Maria Sultan of the Foreign Office told the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control.
The official said the EU countries wanted to provide technical and financial assistance for enhancing the capacity of the concerned authorities to control drug smuggling.
Reacting to the remark, Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) director general said that it was the responsibility of the Foreign Office to dispel such an impression. He said Pakistan is cooperating with the international community for controlling the drug smuggling, ‘but it is still reluctant to assist Pakistan’.
The ANF DG informed the committee that Narcotics Control Division (NCD) was working in close collaboration with Pakistani missions abroad and 32 drug liaison officers of various countries present in Pakistan.
“It is doing its best to prevent smuggling of precursor chemicals. The ANF has seized one of the world’s largest quantity (1,03,563 litres) of hydrochloric acid and acetic anhydride in three years,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2014.
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