The operation would be carried out jointly by Sindh Police, Excise & Narcotics Police and Anti-Narcotics Force.
Karachi
A high level meeting decided on Monday to seal the borders and launch a major operation against the drug mafia by Sindh police, Excise & narcotics police and ANF, as the narcotics were being smuggled to Sindh through four routes from Punjab and Balochistan.
“The narcotics were neither cultivated nor manufactured in Sindh. Narcotics reach into Karachi through four different routes. They are from Balochistan through Qambar, Larkana, Dadu, Jamshoro to Karachi. Another route is from Balochistan through Quetta, Sorab, Khuzdar, Wadh, Uthal, Gadani, Hub and then to Karachi. The third route is from Punjab through Kashmore and reaches Karachi via Shikarpur, Larkana, Dadu and Jamshoro. The fourth route is from Punjab through Sadiqabad and reaches Karachi via Pano Aqil, Sukkur, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Thatta then to Karachi,” the meeting was told.
In view of such a situation, Sindh government and the Federal Ministry of Narcotics decided to join hands to eradicate drugs from the society, particularly from educational institutions and block the different routes from where drugs are smuggled to Karachi by evolving a joint mechanism and deployment of concerned forces.
A task force comprising the Sindh Chief Minister and federal minister for interior was formed to monitor the situation once a month and a committee was constituted with representation from Anti-Narcotics Force, Sindh police and Excise police to conduct-intelligence based crack down on the drug smugglers and paddlers. The committee would be notified by the Sindh government.
These decisions were taken in a meeting held here at CM House attended by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah with his team and the federal Minister for narcotics Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti and his team. Those who attended the meeting include ANF Commander Brigadier Viqar Haider, Major Mohammad Ali and Abdul Salam Khetran. The CM was assisted by his Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Minister Excise & Narcotic Mukesh Chawla, Minister Social Welfare Sajid Jokhio, Advisor law Murtaza Wahab, IG Sindh Mushtaq Maher, Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon, IG Prison Kazir Nazir, Secretary Excise, and others.
The chief minister said that use of narcotics was emerging at an alarming pace in our society. “Drugs proliferation in Pakistan increased after the Afghan war,” he said and quoting a survey said that around 6.8 million drug users were estimated in Pakistan. “The slum areas serve as breeding grounds for drug abuse and trafficking, ” Shah said and added “the slums of Lyari and Sohrab Goth are the main hub of narcotics activity in Karachi.”
Federal Minister for Narcotics Shazain Bugti assured the chief minister that ANF was at the disposal of the provincial government, and we would work together to purge the society from menace and mafia.
Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon giving a detailed briefing pointed out that the menace has now penetrated the educational system and both men and women were using various narcotics substances in colleges and universities.
According to Additional IG there is a strong nexus between narcotics and crime. Most of the street criminals are narcotics addicts. The drugs used by addicts include, Hashish, Cannabis, Heroin, Cocaine, Crack, Amphetamines, Crystal/ICE, Ecstasy/Barbiturates/Benzodiazepines.
Ghulam Nabi Memon told the meeting that 1714 narcotics peddlers have been identified, of the 396 were in jail, 440 on bail and 878 at large.
“Out of 346 drug users only two are convicted while out of 22624 drug traffickers 727 are convicted,” it was disclosed by Inspector General of Prisons Sindh Kazi Nazir in the meeting. (PR)
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