All US-bound containerised cargo from Pakistan would be screened, from next month, via live video link, jointly by customs officials of Pakistan and concerned US officials.
This will be done under the 'Integrated Cargo Container Control' (IC3) project, promoted by the United States, and would result not only in reducing the cost of Pakistan's exports to US but would also save time for completing the export orders from US buyers. Security of life and property has become main concern the world over in the changing scenario, forcing nations to review security arrangements anew.
It was in this background that the US government expressed the idea of installing a container/cargo security scanning system at Port Qasim, especially for export cargo consignments destined for the United States. The project, 'Integrated Cargo Container Control (IC3)' includes pre-screening and inspection of high-risk US-bound containers in foreign locations.
The IC3 project, which has been installed at Port Qasim, would prevent the use of containers for transportation of arms, radioactive materials and narcotics to the US.
The project has been implemented in 42 countries the world over, including Pakistan which has an edge over India as that country does not have this project installed at any of its ports to have trade security measures in place.
The Port Qasim Authority has taken the lead by allocating five acres land for this purpose. This is the first pilot project at PQA, which would be operational next month.
A three-member delegation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), headed by Clifford Craig, Chief Technical Advisor, visited Port Qasim on Wednesday morning to have a look at the IC3 project.
Port Qasim Authority Chairman Vice Admiral Asad Qureshi informed the delegation that PQA has set a new policy matrix, which manifests its approach towards increasing port efficiency and reducing cost of doing business.
As a result, port activities have gained momentum. Keeping in view the increase in exports to US in the future, Port Qasim took trade security measures to safeguard its trade interests by allocating 10 acres land for IC3 project, out of which five acres would be occupied for installation of scanning equipment and the rest has been reserved for 'container stacking yard'. The Collector of Customs at Port Qasim has also taken several remedial measures for drugs control at his end.
UNODC works in co-operation with United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) in the collection and analysis of statistics on crime trends and operations of criminal justice systems, as well as to promote crime surveys and research and studies on new and emerging forms of crime.
It may be mentioned that opium (poppy) cultivation in Pakistan substantially declined over the past decade, reaching near zero in 1999. That achievement was sustained in 2000 and 2001. The UNODC target area, Dir district in the NWFP, was opium poppy-free for the third year in a row in 2001. However, Pakistan's geographic location, neighbouring Afghanistan, places the country in a vulnerable position in terms of drugs abuse and trafficking.
According to the estimates of a recent UNODC-supported national assessment of drugs abuse, there are about 500,000 chronic heroin abusers. That figure is lower than previous estimates, but still represents an extremely serious heroin abuse problem in the country.
Pakistan continues to be one of the main conduits for heroin, morphine base, opium and hashish originating from Afghanistan. The main drugs trafficking route is across the border from Afghanistan into the province of Balochistan, before crossing the border between Pakistan and Iran into the Iranian province of Sistan-Blochistan for onward transport towards Turkey and Europe.
Other vulnerable areas are the border of NWFP with Afghanistan, the container ports in Karachi and Port Qasim, and the international airports. The objective of Pakistan programme is to support the Government of Pakistan in implementing its drugs control policies through targeted technical assistance and advocacy.
In view of the recent developments, the focus of UNODC strategy for Pakistan has shifted in recent years from supply reduction towards drug law enforcement and drug demand reduction.
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