Pakistan calls for multi-pronged strategy to combat drugs and crime

Pakistan on Friday called for a multi-pronged strategy at the national and international levels to combat the problems of drugs and crime.
Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, Masood Khalid, while addressing the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with Social, Cultural and Humanitarian matters on the issues of crime prevention and criminal justice as well as international drug control, said that crime transcends national boundaries and threatens regional and international security.
He said that the primary responsibility to prevent and combat crimes rests with individual states.
He said that a befitting response to various forms of crime not only requires political resolve and effective implementation of policies at the national level, "but also necessitates international co-operation".
The envoy said that Pakistan has been playing a leading role in sensitising the international community to the drug problem in its region. "In our own country, we have succeeded in the elimination of illicit crop through a combination of law enforcement and alternative development initiatives. At the same time, we have been actively contributing to international efforts to stop the outflow of drugs from Afghanistan and inflow of precursor chemicals to prevent the drug production."
He emphasised that the United Nations has "a central role" to play in the international fight against organised crime.
Masood Khalid said Pakistan commends the excellent job being done by the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in ratifying and implementing the instruments dealing with various facets of crime, particularly its programmes against money laundering9 corruption and trafficking in persons. "We also appreciate the work of its Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB), which is mandated to provide technical and legal assistance to Member States."
He said: "Terrorism is a complex phenomenon with political and legal dimensions." As a frontline state, Pakistan is an active partner in international efforts to combat this scourge, he added.
He expressed the hope that the Eleventh United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to be held next year will provide opportunities to discuss these and other relevant issues.
He said that combating money-laundering and criminal economy constitutes a major element of strategies against organised crime. Member States must examine the desirability of a stand-alone instrument against money-laundering negotiated under the aegis of the UN. He said. Pakistan has been actively participating in the negotiations on TOC Convention and Convention against Corruption and is also a signatory to both these conventions. A number of legal and administrative reforms have been introduced in key areas to prevent and combat criminal activities covered by these conventions.
He said that for prevention of corruption, a two-pronged strategy is being pursued. On the one hand a comprehensive anti-corruption legislation is being implemented and on the other hand corporate management structures are being introduced in major public sector organisations with a view to preventing corrupt practices.
The National Accountability Bureau has been successful in bringing down corruption within the country and has recovered over 160 billion Rupees of ill-gotten money.
"We believe that with political resolve at the national level and co-operation and collective efforts at the international level, positive results can be achieved."
Masood Khalid said while there are reasons to be optimistic, "we have to be mindful of new patterns and trends, which necessitate timely action for the success of our strategies against the world drug problem. Special attention must be devoted to the rising tide of illicit production, trafficking and abuse of synthetic drugs and their precursors. Lenient policies towards drug abuse in certain regions are hampering demand reduction strategy which needs tow be checked.
He said that the solution to the global drug problem and the realisation of shared objective of a drug-free world needs a sustained and multi-pronged strategy both at the national and international levels. This entails addressing related menaces of terrorism, money-laundering, violent crimes and such other problems that have a bearing in this regard.
He said, Pakistan remains committed to forging effective partnerships at the international level to curb the threats posed by drugs, organised crime and terrorism.