ISLAMABAD: The international community has acknowledged achievement in seizures of narcotics made by the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) because ANF is striving hard to control drugs trafficking through Pakistan.
“Unprecedented and record seizures effected by ANF are indication of ANF’s resolve to combat the menace of drugs,” a well placed source in Narcotics Control Division of Ministry of Interior told this scribe here on Wednesday, adding that 28 police stations of ANF were working in the country to control the smuggling spread of narcotics; number of police stations had been increased from 25 to 28 by activating three additional police stations in 2014.
“To monitor the trafficking and use of synthetic drugs, Regional Directorates of ANF have been directed to take stringent measures with regards to diversion of precursors for manufacturing of narcotics, drugs an elaborate SOP has been formulated and being implemented in letter and spirit,” the source added.
Elaborating the measures taken by the Narcotics Control Division, the source said that measures had been taken to deploy ANF personnel at all international airports, seaports and dry ports to counter narcotics trafficking through passengers and goods and talks with several other countries were also underway in this regards.
“Similarly, a number of campaign and crackdown against drug peddlers involving police under IATF forum as well as poppy crop has been destroyed in coordination with provincial government and FATA administration from a vast cultivated area,” the source added, saying that Canine Units (Sniffer dogs) had been established at each Regional Directorate in all four provinces Khyber Pakthtunkhwa, Northern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
Moreover, the source said that special attention had been paid towards the issue of capacity building of ANF officials and other law enforcing agencies (LEAs) through training and provision of equipments for counter narcotics activities as well as intelligence network of ANF had been expanded inside main cities to locate and hunt drug smugglers and peddlers.
“With the purpose to check sale of narcotics and drugs to youth drugs to students by peddlers and suppliers, areas around educational institutions are being monitored on regular basis,” the source added, saying that enrolment of 590 individuals in the ANF Force was also in process. The source said that checking of international arrivals at all airports and checking of domestic flight at Quetta and Peshawar airports had been tightened and NADRA verification System had been extended to HQ RDs for speeding investigations.
The source added that conduct of precursors training for all users for effective precursor control and check, induction of intelligence software (I2) for assistance in investigation and backtracking had been accelerated besides the random or surprise checking by ANF special Squad at all Railway Stations.
Moreover the source said that scope of Port Control Unit (PCU) at Karachi had been expanded and checking of imports at seaports had commenced despite paucity of resources. “CCTV cameras for effective profiling of passengers at all airports are being utilized with frequent engagements with courier and parcel companies and extension of NADRA Biometric Verification System to them,” the source added, saying that Pre-Export Notification (PEN) online system had also placed in practice to have check on misuse and diversion of precursors.
It is interesting to note here that ANF primarily, Pakistan Narcotics Board (PNB) was set up in 1957, in the Revenue Division in order to fulfill Pakistan’s obligations under the International Opium Convention of 1925. Pakistan ratified the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs, 1961 on August 15, 1965 with a view to meet its obligations under the said Convention, the Government of Pakistan, through a declaration of March 8, 1973, reorganised the PNB as Pakistan Narcotics Control Board (PNCB). The Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) was established in December 1991. In February 1995 ex PNCB and ANTF were amalgamated to constitute the Anti Narcotics Force.
