ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: A regional ministerial conference on efforts to counter narcotics, held in the Presidency here on Tuesday, formed a contact group to develop a comprehensive mechanism to counter national and regional threats posed by drugs.

Addressing the conference, President Asif Ali Zardari called for collective efforts in the region to eliminate drug trade being used to finance terror operations.

The conference adopted a declaration which recommended the establishment of a hotline to link the anti-narcotics agencies concerned.

The regional contact group shall become operational in early 2014 after finalisation of its terms of reference in the intervening period.

The group will focus on developing a comprehensive regional counter-narcotics strategy, concentrating on elimination of opium cultivation, demand, supply and trafficking of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances, including their precursors.

The conference was attended by the delegations of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

President Zardari said in his inaugural remarks: “Efforts against nacro-trade cannot succeed unless we succeed together. We will conquer heroin trade only through collective action.”

Later in their statements, the ministers appreciated the initiative taken by the president. They said the initiative would give much needed urgency to the regional counter-narcotics efforts.

The president asked the agencies concerned to maintain contact, like a hotline between their chiefs, for better coordination in dealing with drug trafficking.