ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: There are 3.5 million drug addicts in Pakistan out of which 0.5 million are heroin addicts and 60,000 are injecting drug-users.

Niaz Ahmed Siddiki, Director-General Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), said this while briefing a delegation of senior Afghan and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) officials, who visited the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) headquarters in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

Mr Siddiki said that the government had approved a master plan for control of drug abuse with a total outlay of Rs2,832 million out of which Rs1,072 million had been allocated for drug demand reduction component.

The government has approved two model addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres with a cost of Rs22.52 million each, one at Islamabad and the other at Quetta, for treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of drugs addicts back into the society, he added.

Lt Col Sajid Aziz Aslam, joint director (enforcement), briefed the delegation on the working of the ANF and the narcotics situation in Pakistan. The delegation was informed that in 2003-2004 the total area under poppy cultivation was 6,694 hectares out of which 78 per cent had been eradicated.

During the current year, 7,783 kg heroin, 676 kg opium and 57,111 kg hashish was seized. The value of the frozen assets forfeited was worth Rs45.42 million. Total 570 cases were registered against the drugs barons.

The delegation was informed about the role of ANF which acted as a supervisory, coordinating and advisory body in the field of narcotics. The delegation recognized and praised the efforts of the ANF for combating drug menace in Pakistan and stressed further extension of the already existing mutually beneficial ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The delegation comprised UNODC officials, Consuelo Casarotto, project coordinator; Richard Will, law-enforcement advisor; Yusaf Mohammad, officer-in-charge; Shama Maqbool, director-general and Abdul Khalil Terzay, head of the law-enforcement unit and others.