PM approves second national anti-narcotics policy

By Azmat Gondal

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has approved the second national anti-narcotics policy envisaging an outlay of 10 billion rupees for new initiatives, an official said.
While talking to Business Day, federal secretary narcotics control division Tariq Khosa said that new policy was long over due since the first policy was announced in 1993.
"It has been almost two decades and a lot has changed over time. Hence it was necessary to revamp the earlier policy," he added. The policy will be tabled before federal cabinet next month for formal approval.
Out of the total package of 10 billion rupees, he said, Pakistan will get major chunk of funds amounting to some 7.5 billion rupees from international agencies including multilateral sources.
The policy--when approved by the cabinet-will also be presented in the International Narcotics Control Board in Vienna in its next meeting.
Pakistan is suffering heavily for being a neighbour of the world's largest poppy producing country-Afghan-istan--and due to the rising demand for drugs in the West. The major factors of demand and production are beyond Pakistan's control.
Officials informed that the new narcotics policy has been prepared in consultation with all the stakeholders.
The policy, they said, should sink with other national policies.
They said the policy focuses on capacity building of Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on modern lines in accordance with 'national strategy for narcotics control'.
Under the new policy framework, ongoing projects of the narcotic control division as well as its future projects would be coordinated with the ministries concerned and organisations to help determine and focus on priority areas.
Earlier, the prime minister announced the creation of an inter-agency task force to coordinate operational efforts against drug traffickers and smugglers. The task force is to be headed by the ANF director general, comprising federal and provincial law enforcement agencies for better coordination on enforcement strategy.
The drug liaison officer (DLO) is to be posted to the Pakistan mission in Vienna and subsequently four DLOs will be posted in Afghanistan, Iran, UAE and Thailand.
About 90 per cent or 6,900 metric tonnes of opium is produced in Afghanistan and smuggled in various forms of drugs to Europe and beyond.
The cost of opium produced in Afghanistan is about four billion dollars while it fetches 61 billion dollars in Europe and America.
The ANF registered over 9,000 cases last year against drug traffickers as well as users out of which 88 per cent had been convicted.