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ANF seeks access to emails, SMS, other modern techniques under Fair Trial Act 2013
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MNC sends summary to PM seeking additional budget, recruitment of staff
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Narcotics Control (MNC) after becoming a separate ministry is in need of expansion, keeping in view the requirements after China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), increase in synthetic drugs and international obligation to control the menace. The ministry has sent a detailed summary of additional budget and creation of thousands of jobs for expansion of the ministry.
This was said by MNC Secretary Iqbal Mehmood while briefing Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Narcotics Control here on Wednesday. The meeting of the committee was chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla.
Director-General Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Major General Musarrat Nawaz Malik said that ANF has also sought access to Fair Trial Act 2013 to collect evidence by means of modern techniques and devices like wiretapping and intercepting emails and SMS text messages, IPER/CDR, etc. to intercept private communications in order to track suspected drug dealers that will be accepted in a court in cases registered against them.
He informed the committee that in the line of expansion, MNC, through the summary to the prime minister, has sought the creation of posts of drug liaison officers (DLOs) for posting in various countries. Besides, the ministry will also be establishing model addiction treatment centres across the country under the expansion programme. The ministry is also in need of more regional directorates and police stations in the country. MNC also needed permanent secretariat as major offices of the ministry were in rented buildings. He said ANF was facing the challenge of dealing with modern synthetic drugs.
In reply to query related increasing trend of using drugs in education institutions of the country, the DG ANF said that his department was focusing on a two-pronged strategy of dealing with a new challenge, under which the reduction of supply and usage of the menace was being ensured. ANF had conducted special operation against the drug supplies to students and staff of Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad and recovered drugs from their possessions.
Senator Saud Majeed said since the menace is being spread in education institutions, ANF needed to take action against suppliers of narcotics. The DG ANF replied that the MNC was presently facing acute shortage of human resource and capacity to go after every institute. He suggested strict disciplinary action against the management of the institution, staff, students found involved in the spread of narco drugs. Increasing trend of synthetic drugs abuse among the youth of the country, particularly in educational institutions, was a challenge, he said.
The major task of controlling the over 40 per cent supply of narcotics from Afghanistan, which produces 90 per cent of the world’s opium, was also a challenge. There was a bumper crop of opium this year in Afghanistan, increasing the risk of more supplies from the neighboring country.
The meeting was also attended by MNC Minister Lt Gen (R) Salahuddin Tirmizi, who requested the Senate body to play its role for approving the summary for expansion of the ministry. He said his ministry is vigorously undertaking drug demand reduction campaigns through public awareness drives and community participation activities throughout Pakistan, as well as running rehabilitation centres, which were providing free of cost treatment to drug addicts. He stressed on the need of organisational requirements of ANF with respect to enhancement of manpower, development of infrastructure, increase in a number of police stations, acquisition of latest technology and establishment of more drug treatment centers in the country.
On the request of the minister, chairman of the committee said that the PEMRA and Ministry of Information would be asked to air advertisement for educating people about the menace of narcotics.
