KARACHI: “Afghanistan is responsible for 90 per cent of poppy production and 40pc of it is trafficked to the world through the sea,” said Rear Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi.

“Afghanistan is a landlocked country so neighbouring Pakistan and Iran’s coastlines are used by them for this purpose.”

The Commander Pakistan Fleet was speaking to the media on Monday at a briefing about the joint Pakistan Navy and Russian Federation Naval Forces exercise to fight the menace of narcotics.

“As you know, all over the world, navies are known to build bridges. Pakistan and Russian navies are also doing their bit in advancing the bilateral relations between the two countries,” he said.

Pakistan Navy ship Aslat visited Russian Port Novorossiysk in Oct 2013, was reciprocated by two Russian Navy ships visiting Karachi in April this year. In May, Pakistan Navy ship Rahnaward also called on the Russian port of Novorossiysk. The visit of the commander-in-chief of the Russian Federation Naval Forces in August also afforded an excellent opportunity to discuss regional issues of mutual interest and identify avenues of bilateral cooperation.

“Now, the second visit by Russian warships after just six months is a testament of our growing relations and keenness on both sides to further enhance the existing level of bilateral relations. But the objective of this particular visit by our Russian friends is not just limited to foster goodwill. It was also aimed at developing procedures for conducting combined operations to curb illicit activities in the maritime domain,” he said.

“Given the fact that the government, armed forces and the people of Pakistan are fighting against terrorism, Pakistan Navy including the naval special operations forces personnel and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency along with observers from Anti-Narcotics Force have also conducted a joint counter narcotics exercise with a Russian ship and members of Russian Federal Drug Control Service [FDCS], in North Arabian Sea. The professional standard displayed by the participating units and crews from both the countries is praiseworthy.

“It is expected that this exercise will prove as a stepping stone towards increasing interoperability and way forward for future exercises between Russian and Pakistan navies. It is also believed that the visit of Russian ship Yarsolav Mudry to Karachi will usher new avenues of friendship and cooperation between our two countries in general and navies in particular,” Rear Admiral Abbasi said.

Speaking through a translator, the director of the federal drug control service Russia, Victor Ivanov, said that the contribution of Pakistan Navy in the fight against narcotics was invaluable. “If you look at the equipment and people involved, it is a very complicated operation.

“The tremendous drug production in Afghanistan is a major threat to world economy as over one hundred billion dollars are spent every year to buy Afghanistan heroine. And 90pc of the world’s trade is through the sea. The sea lanes are like blood supply to the body or the world’s economy in this case. So the navies of the world must play their part in maintaining law and order on the high seas as it requires a multinational effort. Pakistan’s association in thwarting the menace will give new momentum to this cooperation,” he said.

Answering a question about the distance between Pakistan and Russia and how narcotics from our coastlines could even reach that country, Rear Admiral Abbasi said the world environments kept changing, which was also something bringing the two countries closer.

“It may seem that we are quite far apart but we are both still part of central Asia. So in a global world we are not that far away. It is not unusual to find the drugs leaving Afghanistan ending up at the northern port of Russia,” he said.

In reply to a question about further cooperation between both countries, Mr Ivanov said they were aware of Pakistan’s energy problems.

“Russia is interested in having a pipeline with Pakistan to help Pakistan’s economy pick up. Because we believe the stronger a country’s economy, the less space for drugs it will have,” he said.

It was asked if the numbers and quantities of narcotics smuggling from here being quoted were even realistic. Director general of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency Rear Admrial Athar Mukhtar said that during the last year they caught 1,110 kilograms of narcotics together with intelligence agencies and Pakistan Customs.

“The customs department later burns these narcotics in order to get rid of them,” he said.

“We have tried our best to put a stop to the smuggling of drugs on land and through sea but the drug traffickers still find other ways of smuggling, which we can only thwart through mutual cooperation.”

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2014