Pubdate: Sun, 24 Feb 2008
Source: Daily Times (Pakistan)
Copyright: 2008 Daily Times
Contact:  http://www.dailytimes.com.pk
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2893

SENATE BODY FOR DRUG-FREE SOCIETY

* Urges measures against foreign drug smugglers

* Reiterates need to launch awareness campaign

ISLAMABAD: Expressing its deep concern over continuous  prevalence of
drugs and narcotics in the society, the  Senate Standing Committee on
Narcotics Control has  directed the Ministry of Interior,
Anti-Narcotics Force  (ANF) and other relevant Government agencies to
double  their efforts to create a drug-free society.

The Committee, which met at the Parliament House on  Saturday under
the Chairpersonship of Senator Mrs  Kalsoom Parveen, underscored the
need to employ a  multi-pronged strategy for effecting and
simultaneously  pursuing preventive and rehabilitative strategies to
achieve better results.

Measures against foreign drug smugglers urged: The  Committee asked
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the  ANF to ensure posting of Drug
Liaison Officers in the  countries whose nationals have been found to
be  involved in drug trafficking like Nigeria, Tanzania,  Ethiopia etc
in large numbers.

Senator Mr Enver Baig and some other members of the  Committee drew
the attention of the chairperson towards  the fact that a large number
of Nigerian nationals have  been caught in the country on drug charges
during  recent years and their number is still increasing,  expressing
their surprise at the Foreign Office for not  taking up the matter at
the government level. They said  that fake documents are being
presented at the time of  Visa interviews in the absence of a proper
mechanism to  get these counter-checked from the Pakistani and
Nigerian Chambers of Commerce. These Nigerian  nationals, they added,
continue to loiter on our  streets endangering the lives of the people
once they  have served the sentences awarded to them by the courts  on
drug-related charges. These persons are even being  spotted in many
areas of Rawalpindi and Federal Capital  Islamabad. They wonder why
these criminals are not  deported to their countries swiftly
immediately  afterwards. As a con! sequence the country is getting bad
  name in the media all over the world, which prompted  the European
countries to deny Visa to genuine  Pakistani businessmen and other
nationals of repute.

Awareness campaign: The Senate Committee has underlined  the need to
launch an aggressive campaign through the  media to enhance the level
of public awareness on the  issue. It also called for vigorously
pursuing the cases  of drug barons in the courts for awarding them
exemplary punishments. "Weak following and legal  lacunas are
benefiting the criminals", it observed.  'The future of our younger
generation is at stake and  we can not afford to be complacent', said
the Committee  members.

The Senate body also expressed its concern over easy  availability of
drugs and narcotics at Mazars and  Shrines especially during the
period of 'Urs' of that  particular Sufi or Saint.

The Committee endorsed the ANF's plea for more funds  and additional
manpower to effectively discharge the  responsibility entrusted to it
by the government. The  Committee commended the agency's role in
curbing drug  flow to countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait owing to
the efforts of ANF, which has also been acknowledged by  their
respective Governments.

The Committee was apprised on the system in place to  check illegal
entry of Narcotics in the country  encompassing information i.e.
details of persons/firms  to whom No Objection Certificates have been
issued so  far for import of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), persons  who
were convicted for their involvement in the  business of drugs and
whose properties were  confiscated/auctioned by the Ministry of
Narcotics  Control and Anti Narcotics Force (ANF). The issue of
pre-cursor chemicals also figured prominently during  the meeting and
it was emphasized that the use should  be restricted to industry only.
The Committee offered  'Fatiha' for late Senator Mr Sarwar Khan Kakar
and  prayed for his eternal salvation.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Senators Mrs  Tahira Latif,
Abdul Raziq, Mir Israrullah Khan and  Abdul Rahim Khan Mandokhail.
Senator Enver Baig  attended the meeting as mover. Senior officials of
the  Ministry of Narcotics were also present on the  occasion.
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MAP posted-by: Derek