Member and observer countries of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) have agreed to set up a special institute to intensify fight against cross-border drug crimes.
Drug control on the border areas needs to be strengthened and an intelligence exchange mechanism needs to be established, said delegates at the three-day symposium held here.
The proposed institute is aimed at sharing and updating legal and administrative measures for dealing with the drug crimes more effectively.
Federal Narcotics Secretary Ismail Hassan Niazi represented Pakistan at the symposium. Sources told APP here on Sunday that the participating countries agreed to take effective measures to fight terrorism by cutting off its financing from drug trafficking.
While, highlighting the dangerous effects of the drug menace, the participants said that the production and trafficking of narcotics and mental drugs was one of the most important financing channels of international terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, Ismail Niazi said in an interview during his stay in Beijing last week that Pakistan had developed an effective mechanism of co-operation with the regional countries including China at bilateral and regional levels against cross border drug crimes.
Pakistan, being a signatory of UN's conventions was fulfilling its responsibility to control narcotics through all possible means. In that connection, Pakistan had also made special arrangement with neighbouring countries and the Central Asian States.
"We are holding regular exchanges on bilateral and regional levels to strengthen the co-operation's mechanism," he added.
Niazi further said Pakistan had undertaken special measures to check the flow of poppy and heroin from Afghanistan that was major producer of such crops. "We are also tightening the measures on the border to check narcotics' smuggling, he added.