RAWALPINDI - Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) Director General Maj Gen Khawar Hanif said the use of drugs had become national security issue which was also affecting the youth and causing serious diseases among them.
He expressed these views at press briefing held at ANF Headquarters on Tuesday. He said that billion of rupees were earned in drug businesses across the world and three to seven per cent people of total world's population had used drugs in 2013.
"In 2011, a total of 315 million people estimated to have used an illicit substance of which 3.6 and 6.9 per cent were adult population," said Khawar Hanif.
Khawar Hanif said that according to an estimate 0.2 million people died annually worldwide because of narcotics. "The number is far high then those who lost their lives in terrorism," he said.
Quoting United Nations Organization for Drug Control report, he said that global estimate 180.62 million peoples used cannabis and 16.490 million peoples used opium while 311 tons of opium and heroin was manufactured in 2012.
He said that Afghanistan produced an estimated 60-70 per cent of the world's supply of illicit opium. He said that more than 40 per cent of drug was smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan that was supplied to destination markets in Europe, Asia, and to a lesser extent, Africa and North America.
In the process to avoid our country being used as transit routes, our youth become victims of the drug. He said that ANF last year had seized drug worth Rs 9.4 billion (9million dollars) while this year drug worth Rs3.5 billion (3 million dollars) had been seized.
He said 134 tons of drugs would be burnt on upcoming International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, on June 26.
He said that despite challenges of manpower constraint, anti-terrorist operations and law and order situation, Pakistan has made very impressive contributions in fight against the menace of drugs and has continuously emerged as one of the world's leading country in seizures. Relentless efforts of ANF have removed the stigma of poppy growing state from Pakistan. "Pakistan has been acknowledged as Poppy Free State for the year 2011 and has retained the same status for 2012, 2013 and 2014 as well," Maj Gen Khawar said.