RAWALPINDI: A ground-breaking ceremony of joint Border Liaison Office (BLO) between National Narcotics Control Committee (NNCC) China and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Pakistan was held at ANF Check Post, Sost, on Sunday to effectively counter illicit drugs and precursor trafficking across the Pak-China border.
According to an ANF Headquarters spokesman, the event was attended by Wei Xiaojun, Deputy Secretary NNCC, China, Jermey Douglas, Representative UNODC Regional Office South East Asia & Pacific, Cesar Gudes, Representative UNODC Pakistan, Major General Musarrat Nawaz Malik HI(M), Director General ANF, Representatives of Law-Enforcement Agencies of China, Pakistan Customs, FIA and senior officers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Government.
Addressing the participants, the ANF DG said that inauguration of the joint system will help both the countries in countering drugs and precursor trafficking. The credit goes to Secretary NNCC for establishment of the system, he added. He said that the solid foundation of Pak-China friendship is rooted in strong mutual trust, excellent cooperation and convergence of views on regional and global issues, including counter-narcotics cooperation.
He reaffirmed the Pakistan government’s resolve to stem out the menace of drugs from the region as well as from the world.
The envisioned BLO mechanism between Pakistan and China is clear manifesto of this resolve and strong political will of the governments of the respective states, he added.
He said that in continuation of the resolve, ANF seized 412 tons narcotics during the year 2017 and 178 tons during 2018.
He said that global challenges can best be tackled through global solutions which necessitates globally orchestrated and tested responses. Moreover, given the complexity and transnational nature of trafficking in illicit drugs, their precursor chemicals and new psychoactive substances (NPS), no single country alone can comprehensively defeat the menace.
He said that being the immediate neighbour of Afghanistan, the alarming level of Afghan poppy cultivation and potential opium yields have dire consequences for Pakistan in the form of major victimisation and primary transition of narcotics.
Wei Xiaojun, Deputy Secretary NNCC, China, Jermey Douglas, Representative UNODC Regional Office South East Asia & Pacific, Cesar Gudes, Representative UNODC Pakistan also expressed their views that mutual coordination of neighbouring States is the most important factor in controlling the drug menace effectively.
The guests lauded ANF’s counter narcotics efforts at national, regional and international level and the Government of Pakistan’s resolve to make the world free of narcotics.
At the end the DG thanked Wei Xiaojun, Jermey Douglas, Cesar Gudes for being at the event with certainty of provision of all the possible support in countering the menace and leaving no stone unturned in the way of establishment of Drug Free Society.
