January 15, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 05, 1429

FAISALABAD, Jan 14: Poppy cultivation is increasing alarmingly in Afghanistan by 20 to 30 per cent every season though foreign forces are operating in the war-ravaged country.

This was stated by Brig Babar Idrees, the head of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Punjab, while addressing a press conference along with local force in-charge Siddique Gohar at the ANF offices here on Monday.

He said the Kabul failure to stem the menace was multiplying Pakistan’s problems in hunting down drug smugglers.

He said during the current season poppy was cultivated on an area of around 180,000 hectares across the border. He said it was estimated that nearly 36 per cent of Afghanistan’s heroin production (made from poppy) was being smuggled to western countries through Pakistan.

“Traffickers choose Balochistan considering it a safe passage for smuggling, as its long boundary is less restrained, rather perforated. However, efforts are on to net drug pushers and scores of them have already been sent behind bars,” the brigadier said.

Presently the force had only 2,400 personnel, the ANF commander said and hoped that the strength would be taken up to 3,100 soon to reinforce its capability to operate against drug pushers more effectively.

He said because of shortage of staff, the force was unable to install pickets or raid remote places. He said it was also the duty of police force to net drug trafficking as they had networking at the grassroots in the form of police stations and posts.

Brig Babar said the ANF had also arrested a few politician involved in drug smuggling from Lahore recently. However, he declined to name them.

Highlighting one-year performance of the ANF’s Faisalabad offices, the brigadier said it arrested 60 smugglers and registered 39 cases.

It also seized 306 kilo hashish, 10kg heroin, five kilo opium, 20,000 sedative and tranquillisers’ injections, 8,000 bottles of liquid opium and 175kg chemical meant for drug consumption.

He said there was no big network involved in narcotics smuggling, and only people in a small number were engaged in this business.

He said the ANF gathered information about peddlers working in three streets adjacent to Nishat Cinema and an operation would be launched against them soon.