ISLAMABAD: Minister for Narcotic Control Lt Gen ® Salahuddin Tirmizi Friday informed the Senate that Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) has only five police stations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with limited staff and could not fully control whole Afghan’s border to stop drugs trafficking.
Responding to various supplementary questions during Question Hour, the minister said now fencing with Afghanistan has been started which would further help control narcotic trafficking. He said ANF has total 3000 staff across the country and summary would be moved to enhance its staff and provide more equipment. He said owing to the efforts of the government and ANF, United Nation has already declared Pakistan opium-free country. He said the government had formulated a comprehensive anti-narcotic policy in 2010, however, there was a need to revisit it due to new emerging scenario.
He said ANF was striving hard to control drugs trafficking through Pakistan. Unprecedented and record seizures of Methamphetamine and Amphetamine were indicative of ANF’s resolve to combat the menace of drugs, he added.
Giving breakup of the seizure, the minister said 106.435 kg Methamphetamine and 16.584 kg Amphetamine was seized in 2014, 40.113 Kg Methamphetamine and 2875.620 kg Amphetamine in 2015, 131.670 kg Methamphetamine and 3869.996 kg Amphetamine in 2016 and 25.737 kg Methamphetamine and 1858.400 kg Amphetamine in 2017 (upto September 17).
To another question, he said ANF registered 1305 cases of narcotic seizure in 2016 and arrested 1556 persons while 731 cases have been registered and held 814 persons in 2017. To a question, the minister said 80 per cent work on ongoing schemes under Bajur Area Development Project has already been completed and the projects were being financed by US.
