Pakistan and China have developed an effective mechanism of co-operation at bilateral and regional levels against cross border drug crimes. Ministry of Narcotics Control Secretary Ismail Hassan Niazi stated this, who was here to attend a regional meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO).
The SCO's meeting - attended by senior officials of its member and observer countries, discussed the areas of future co-operation to overcome the problem of drug trafficking.
In an interview with APP on Tuesday, the Narcotics Secretary said Pakistan being a signatory of UNOs conventions was fulfilling its responsibility to control narcotics through all possible means. Pakistan has also made special arrangements with China through a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the two countries recently. We are holding regular exchanges and interaction to check the illegal drug trade," he added.
Niazi said Pakistan had bilateral arrangements with other neighbouring countries and the Central Asian States to control the flow of poppy and heroin from Afghanistan.
We are also tightening the measures on the border to stop the narcotics smuggling, he added. Meanwhile, the SCO member and the observer countries agreed to set up a special institute to intensify fight against cross-border drug crimes, reports Chinese media. Drug control on the border areas needs to be strengthened and an intelligence exchange mechanism needs to be established, the delegates said at the symposium including members of SCO and countries, which attended as observer states as Pakistan. Successful experiences of dealing with drug crimes were also shared.
The SCO needs to take effective measures to fight terrorism by cutting of its financing from drug trafficking, said participants, highlighting the production and trafficking of narcotics and mental drugs was one of the most important financing channels of international terrorist groups.
Dubbed a new model for regional co-operation, the SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 aiming to promote regional security and fight terrorism. The permanent members of the SCO are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its four observer states are Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Iran.
The SCO is scheduled to hold a summit in Shanghai in mid-June. It is also going to hold a meeting for defence ministers later this month and a meeting for foreign ministers in mid-May, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.
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