ISLAMABAD, Oct 5: The number of drug addicts in Pakistan has reached an alarming level of approximately 3.5 to 4 million people. Director-General Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Maj Gen Nadeem Ahmed said this at a drug burning ceremony at Jeddah Town, Grand Trunk Road, Rawalpindi, on Tuesday.

The ceremony was held to dispose of the contraband seized by the Rawalpindi and Peshawar centres of the department. Mr Ahmed said drug abuse was not only harming the national economy but also undermining the moral and socio-economic fabric of our society.

To overcome this serious problem, the Government of Pakistan has initiated the setting up of two 20-bedded model addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres at Islamabad and Quetta at a cost of Rs22.152 million each, he added.

The force has been playing its role to educate through its mass awareness and community action programme to educate people about the drug abuse. In order to intensify the demand reduction activities, the ANF has recently formed ANF-NGOs forums at national and provincial level. These bodies will be sponsored and financed to undertake mass awareness activities all over Pakistan.

Maj Gen Ahmed said the government was committed to eradicating the menace of drug trade despite all the difficulties. Pakistan is now a poppy-free country and not a single heroin manufacturing laboratory remains in the country, the ANF DG claimed.

Pakistan is actively collaboration with the regional as well as other countries, especially the US, to prevent smuggling of drugs into and through Pakistan to international markets.

Maj Gen Ahmed said: "We are thankful to the donor countries, in particular UK, for their assistance which has enhanced the operational efficiency of the ANF."Geoff Hoon, UK Secretary of State for Defence, was chief guest on the occasion.

Foreign delegates, drug liaison officers of different embassies, high-ranking officials of the ministry of narcotics control, ANF, military and civil bureaucracy attended the ceremony. About 189.556 kilogrammes of heroin, 20164.996 kgs of charas, 133.970 kgs of opium and 295.330 kgs of poppy straw were burnt on the occasion.