Pubdate: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 Source: Daily Times (Pakistan) Copyright: 2008 Daily Times Contact: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2893 FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS: EFFORTS ON TO GIVE YOUTH A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT: MINISTER RAWALPINDI: The government is committed to providing healthy environment to youth and struggle against narcotics is part of such efforts, Narcotics Control Minister Nazar Gondal said on Thursday. He was speaking during a function at Jeddah Town Enclave where Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) set on fire 18,354kg narcotics seized by Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore regional directorates. A large number of senior military and civil officials, social workers, representatives of NGOs and heads of local educational institutions turned up. The ANF distributed printed material among the visitors and displayed banners with anti-drugs slogans to highlight adverse effects of drugs on human health and mind. Narcotics Control Minister Nazar Gondal regretted that drugs traffickers used Pakistan as transit country. He said that drug traffickers were using most difficult routes besides adopting unconventional smuggling methods. He condemned drug traffickers as ruthless human beings, who destroy the future of humankind. He said that drug traffickers were mostly equipped with latest weapons and communication system. The minister appreciated the ANF efforts for drugs control. ANF Director General Major General Khalid Amir Jafri said that Pakistan was facing multiple problems, which made the task of ANF more difficult. He said that the country was located in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan, which was fulfilling global drug needs by producing almost 93 percent narcotics of the world. He said that the ANF had been striving very hard to create deterrence amongst the drug traffickers. Force Commander of ANF Regional Directorate Brig Asif Alvi said that between 2001 and May 31, 2008, the regional directorate seized 1507.96kg heroin, 864.61kg opium, 28908.76kg hashish, 4,557 liquor bottles, 793 ecstasy tablets and 4,011kg poppy straws. He said that in the same period, the directorate registered 1,770 drug seizure cases and got 1,203 criminals convicted. He said that 388 drug cases were under trial. He said that Pakistan was actively collaboration with the UNODC, the UK, the US, China, Germany and Australia to prevent smuggling of drugs into and out of Pakistan. He said that the ANF had been playing a leading role in mass awareness and community action programmers to educate people against drug abuse. He said that the ANF had also established a 45-bedded Model Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (MATRC) for the detoxification of drug addicts. He said that the Force was also running a drop-in centre for injecting drug users for the registration of addicts to motivate them for treatment. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom