SENATE BODY FOR DRUG-FREE SOCIETY

* Urges measures against foreign drug smugglers

* Reiterates need to launch awareness campaign

ISLAMABAD: Expressing its deep concern over continuous prevalence of
drugs and narcotics in the society, the Senate Standing Committee on
Narcotics Control has directed the Ministry of Interior,
Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and other relevant Government agencies to
double their efforts to create a drug-free society.

The Committee, which met at the Parliament House on Saturday under
the Chairpersonship of Senator Mrs Kalsoom Parveen, underscored the
need to employ a multi-pronged strategy for effecting and
simultaneously pursuing preventive and rehabilitative strategies to
achieve better results.

Measures against foreign drug smugglers urged: The Committee asked
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ANF to ensure posting of Drug
Liaison Officers in the countries whose nationals have been found to
be involved in drug trafficking like Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia etc
in large numbers.

Senator Mr Enver Baig and some other members of the Committee drew
the attention of the chairperson towards the fact that a large number
of Nigerian nationals have been caught in the country on drug charges
during recent years and their number is still increasing, expressing
their surprise at the Foreign Office for not taking up the matter at
the government level. They said that fake documents are being
presented at the time of Visa interviews in the absence of a proper
mechanism to get these counter-checked from the Pakistani and
Nigerian Chambers of Commerce. These Nigerian nationals, they added,
continue to loiter on our streets endangering the lives of the people
once they have served the sentences awarded to them by the courts on
drug-related charges. These persons are even being spotted in many
areas of Rawalpindi and Federal Capital Islamabad. They wonder why
these criminals are not deported to their countries swiftly
immediately afterwards. As a con! sequence the country is getting bad
name in the media all over the world, which prompted the European
countries to deny Visa to genuine Pakistani businessmen and other
nationals of repute.

Awareness campaign: The Senate Committee has underlined the need to
launch an aggressive campaign through the media to enhance the level
of public awareness on the issue. It also called for vigorously
pursuing the cases of drug barons in the courts for awarding them
exemplary punishments. "Weak following and legal lacunas are
benefiting the criminals", it observed. 'The future of our younger
generation is at stake and we can not afford to be complacent', said
the Committee members.

The Senate body also expressed its concern over easy availability of
drugs and narcotics at Mazars and Shrines especially during the
period of 'Urs' of that particular Sufi or Saint.

The Committee endorsed the ANF's plea for more funds and additional
manpower to effectively discharge the responsibility entrusted to it
by the government. The Committee commended the agency's role in
curbing drug flow to countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait owing to
the efforts of ANF, which has also been acknowledged by their
respective Governments.

The Committee was apprised on the system in place to check illegal
entry of Narcotics in the country encompassing information i.e.
details of persons/firms to whom No Objection Certificates have been
issued so far for import of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), persons who
were convicted for their involvement in the business of drugs and
whose properties were confiscated/auctioned by the Ministry of
Narcotics Control and Anti Narcotics Force (ANF). The issue of
pre-cursor chemicals also figured prominently during the meeting and
it was emphasized that the use should be restricted to industry only.
The Committee offered 'Fatiha' for late Senator Mr Sarwar Khan Kakar
and prayed for his eternal salvation.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Senators Mrs Tahira Latif,
Abdul Raziq, Mir Israrullah Khan and Abdul Rahim Khan Mandokhail.
Senator Enver Baig attended the meeting as mover. Senior officials of
the Ministry of Narcotics were also present on the occasion.