ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Ghous Bux Khan Mahar on Friday told the National Assembly that the government had failed to completely destroy poppy crop in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) due to engagement of law-enforcement agencies in the ongoing anti-terrorist operations in those areas.

In a written reply to a question of Maulana Syed Nasib Ali Shah of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), the minister said poppy was cultivated on a total of 7,091 acres in NWFP in the year 2004-5, and the government could only destroy crop on 1,065 acres.

Giving break-up, the minister said poppy was cultivated on 3,678 acres in Khyber Agency, 1,030 acres in Kala Dhaka district, 986 acres in Mohmand Agency, 500 acres in Bajaur Agency, 400 acres in defecto tribal area of Charsadda and 304 acres in Kohistan district.

Mr Mahar, however, said the crop sown in Balochistan over an area of 681 acres had been completely destroyed. He said it was wrong to say that the government had not stopped farmers at the time of poppy cultivation. He also told the House that no person was killed during the action of destroying the crop in Fata last year.

In reply to a question of Beelum Hasnain, the minister told the assembly members that Pakistan had signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with 19 countries regarding narcotics control. However, he said, the MoUs only with Turkey and Kyrgyzstan had been ratified so far while the ratification of MoUs with Brazil and Azerbaijan had been approved by the federal cabinet.

According to the list Pakistan has signed MoUs with Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Romania, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and Uzbekistan.