Every Citizen Responsible To Fight Narcotics: IG FC

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: Inspector General Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan Major General Saleem Nawaz has said that clearing Pakistan of narcotics is not only the responsibility of Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) but also that of every individual.

He expressed these while addressing a narcotics burning ceremony held in connection with ‘World Anti-Narcotics Day’, here on Saturday.

IG FC strongly negated the notion that Pakistan was involved in cultivation and smuggling of narcotics and said that very organized smugglers used Pakistani soil as a route to smuggle narcotics. “Pakistan has taken stern action for the elimination of narcotics smuggling and its cultivation”, he said and added that narcotics free Pakistan was their goal and they were optimistic to achieve this goal.

Saleem Nawaz said that during the previous year a huge quantity of narcotics was cultivated in neighbouring country Afghanistan and smugglers used Pakistani borders as routes to smuggle them to other countries. “We share 2100 kilometer border with Iran and Afghanistan and our forces have recovered narcotics worth millions of rupees so far”, he informed.

IG FC said that curbing smuggling of narcotics was not the responsibility of police as police was not deployed on borders and added that it was also responsibility of ATF and stressed upon every individual to play his role in eliminating of smuggling of narcotics.

Commander ANF, Brigadier Waheed Akhtar said that ANF was determined to get rid of the curse of narcotics in cooperation of the masses and added that people belonging to every segment of life was cooperating in this regard.

He said that the strength of personnel of ANF which was discharging its duty in the largest province of Balochistan was less but it was performing its all duties with determination and bravery.

He informed that ANF recovered 19075.600 kilogram narcotics and 4.620 liters wine in 2009 while a huge quantity of narcotics and win were seized in 2010.

He said that ANF with the collaboration of Balochistan Government, FC, police and district administrations had destroyed poppy crop that were cultivated in 114 acres and added that without cooperation of police and FC it was not possible.