Afghanistan drugs: smuggling a challenge to LEAs, National Assembly body told

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Narcotics Control was informed on Tuesday that controlling trafficking of Afghanistan drugs into and through Pakistan as well as smuggling of precursor chemicals to the bordering country were serious challenges being faced by the country's law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and healthcare system.
Secretary Excise and Taxation, Punjab Shamail Ahmed Khawaja told the committee, which met here with its chairman Murtaza Javed Abbasi in the chair at the Parliament House, that proliferation of drugs and psychotropic substances, which were causing increase in number of drug addicts, were challenge for law enforcement agencies.
Secretary, Ministry of Narcotics Control Tariq Khosa, while briefing the committee revealed that all political parties heads had been requested to inculcate in their respective party's manifesto the initiatives of drug control to make Pakistan drug free country.
He further said that the provinces had also been asked to launch the Ministry's project of declaring any two cities as 'drug free cities'. The committee, which lauded the steps taken by government of Punjab in eradication of drugs, also called upon the remaining three provinces ie Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to follow the Punjab suit in this regard. Shamail Ahmed Khawaja said that anti-narcotics policy 2010 had been developed to address the challenges of Pakistan's prevailing drug abuse and changes in the global narcotics environment.
Giving details of the cases registered and persons arrested during 2009-10, he said that 47,168 and 49,543 cases were registered, respectively during the two years while 47,873 and 51,034 persons were arrested during the same period. He added that the drugs seized during 2010 include 730 kg of heroin, 345 kg of opium, 13,835 kg of Charas, 3,81,694 bottles of liquor, 146,047 liters of Lahan, 26,037 tablets of morphine while 6,353 drunkers were arrested during the same period.
He said that during the last three years, consumption of the liquor had reduced considerably in Lahore and due to the steps taken by the government currently there are only five liquor shops ie five star hotels in the city of eight million population. Similarly, he added that strict check was being kept on the sell points. However, the committee asked the provincial government to keep check on the liquor after it has been purchased from the sell points.
Shamail Ahmed Khawaja further said that the information department of the province was preparing a comprehensive mass awareness campaign in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Narcotics Control and Anti Narcotics Force (ANF). The committee also directed ministry of information and broadcasting and ministry of culture to check the films and dramas being telecast where models were show using drugs.
The committee also directed the Ministry of Education to keep strict check to control use of drugs in the educational institutions, as the committee expressed concerns over the increasing trend of drugs in colleges and universities. While taking up the progress on link road to Darband under Kala Dhaka project, the committee asked the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to expedite work on the project so as to curb the menace of drug trafficking.