Lahore to have rehab centre for drug addicts, says Senate panel

RAWALPINDI: The Senate Standing Committee on Anti-Narcotics has revealed a plan to establish a rehabilitation centre in Lahore for the treatment of drug addicts.

A meeting of the Senate panel, convened by Senator Gurdeep Singh, was held at Parliament House on Tuesday. During the session, Senator Falak Naz expressed concern over the availability of drugs in the Adiala jail as well as the involvement of police personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in “heinous acts”.

At the outset of the meeting, the secretary of the narcotics ministry briefed the Senate panel on the functions and operations of the Ministry of Narcotics Control. Munir Azam highlighted that the ministry played a crucial role in combating the drug culture. He said that the eradication of drug trafficking was a shared responsibility at both the national and global levels. The ministry provided detailed insights into the policy framework, inter-provincial coordination, and assistance received from foreign countries in the field of narcotics control.

The ministry officials underscored their achievement in attaining Pakistan’s poppy-free status. Key policy points focused on maintaining this status, preventing domestic drug production and trafficking, strengthening law enforcement, protecting vulnerable groups such as women, children, and youth, and promoting socio-economic development. Additionally, efforts were highlighted regarding the capacity enhancement of 32 agencies and evidence-based interventions.

ANF operations

Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Director General Major General Muhammad Aniq talked about collaboration with neighbouring countries on intelligence-sharing, border control, and joint operations. Internationally, the ANF has partnered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Interpol, and other international agencies for resources and technical assistance, it was informed.

Moreover, DG ANF also briefed the Senate panel about the operations and measures taken by ANF to control drug trafficking. Currently, the ANF has a deployment of 3,211 personnel, with 84 belonging to minority groups.

He highlighted that despite limited resources; the ANF successfully implemented an effective counter-narcotics strategy and is currently operating in 23 districts in Pakistan. While presenting details of the seized drugs in coordination with the provincial government and other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) from 2018 to 2023, the ANF director general said that in 2023, there were 73,875 seizures.

Furthermore, in the same year, there were 64 foreigners arrested related to drug trafficking. The contribution of ANF to national efforts is reported to be 82.4 per cent. However, he stressed the constraints of limited resources and manpower, requesting the committee members for support.

He added there was a need to adopt a “uniform national stance” on narcotics. Senator Gurdeep Singh, the convener of the meeting, along with other committee members, commended the efforts of the Ministry of Narcotics and assured it of their support regarding strengthening the ANF. In attendance were Senator Falak Naz, Senator Dost Muhammad Khan, Senator Anwar Lal Dean, the Ministry of Narcotics Control officials, ANF DG, and others.