Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday called for launching an aggressive awareness campaign against the harmful affects of narcotics to wage a sustained war against the menace afflicting the society. The Prime Minister also directed setting up of Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres at Islamabad and Quetta, besides a pilot programme in schools to inform the young students about the harmful affects of drugs.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was attending a briefing at the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF), where he was apprised of the measures taken to counter the spread of narcotics in the country.
"This is a war and needs to be won, as it knows no boundaries, and can damage the society," he said while attending the briefing by ANF Director General, Major General Nadeem Ahmad.
He appreciated the efforts of the force for curbing spread of narcotics in the country and urged to further improve its management.
He particularly noted the need of strengthening the ANF legal department and asked for acquiring the services of more efficient lawyers to help clear the pending cases in the courts.
He said the government was committed to rid the country of the menace completely, and added, "The political will is already there, but we need to sensitise the people about the evil effects of narcotics."
Talking to newsmen after the briefing, he described the increase in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan as a negative trend, and said the Afghan government had been contacted and urged to take strict measures for its elimination.
He said on Pakistan side, the law enforcing agencies and the ANF had been directed to take steps to ensure that the country was not used as a transit route.
However, he said to stop poppy cultivation, there was a need for greater international collaboration and provision of alternate source of income for the farmers.
The government, he said had set up a separate ministry to end production, distribution and consumption of drugs and narcotics in the country, adding, "the menace is a threat to the society and afflicts all segments of the society."
There was a need to inform the masses about its ill effects, he said, and urged the media to play their role by apprising the people that how the use of drugs affected the society, what to do if someone was addicted and from where to seek help. Those steps, he said, would go a long way in reducing the local demand.
The Prime Minister was informed that there were around four million drug addicts in the country, there were no heroin laboratories and the country had been declared poppy free.
The ANF DG said during 2004, 24 metric tones heroin was seized in the country, while in 2003 it was 34 metric tones and 392 foreigners were arrested. The drug users were aged between 15 and 45 years, and 46 percent of these were unemployed, while 26 percent were employed people, he added.
The Prime Minister was also informed about the launching of a "Friends for life" club for creating awareness against drug abuse and treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of addicts into the society. He also accepted the offer to become its Chief Patron.
He also recognised and commended the efforts by the ANF for eradication of drugs in the country.
The DG ANF said that 1,359 kilograms of opium, 1,654 kg of heroin and 3,719 kg of hashish were captured by the ANF from January 1, to February 16.
Minister of State for Narcotics Ghous Bux Khan Mehr also attended the briefing at the ANF headquarters.