ISLAMABAD, March 10: The United Nations is assisting Pakistan to enhance the capacity of its existing intelligence units to combat drug trafficking and other organized crimes on the borders with Iran and Afghanistan through a project worth $811,000 which is to continue till September 2006.

The information was placed before the National Assembly in response to a question by Maulana Akbar Chitrali on Thursday who sought details of narcotics control projects currently under implementation in the country with the assistance of the UN.

The government informed the House that the UN was helping to enhance the capacity of existing intelligence units within key Pakistani law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) through provision of advisory services, training and equipment. The beneficiaries of the project will be the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), the Frontier Corps (FC) in the NWFP and Balochistan, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The government informed the House the project would help the FIA, FC and ANF to acquire an effective system for the collection of information and intelligence concerning drug traffickers and other criminals. After implementation of the project, the LEAs will be able to carry out intelligence-led operations against organized crime and drug trafficking.