LAHORE – Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) after devolution plan would work as attached department of the Excise and Taxation Punjab and four model police stations would be established in Punjab for narcotics control in the province, sources in excise and Taxation department has said.
They said that after devolution of ANF it was supposed to work as provincial department and then Punjab government sought proposals from concerned departments on how to run the newly established department. Since there was financial constraints and Excise and Taxation (E&T), Police, Anti Corruption Establishment and other concerned departments were consulted and management of all of them suggested that the department should be declared as attached department of the E&T. The decision was taken after 18th amendment and Chief Minister approving the establishment of new department a few months back. But the issue was being delayed due to lack of finance, now after making it as attached department of E&T now an E&T officer said that the police stations would start working by July, 2013. The police stations would be established in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. Another officer of E&T said that E&T management has demanded provincial resources quota of ANF like budget, weapons, vehicles and other things to run the department effectively. An officer of Excise department said that Secretary Excise had also issued orders to restore check posts established in borders districts of Punjab which were made dysfunctional about three to four years back.
These posts were established in Mianwali, Bhakar, Rawalpindi and Sadiqabad only for narcotics control as these districts were situated on border areas of other provinces like KPK and Sindh. These check posts and police stations would play a vital role in curbing the narcotics in the province. The officer further said that these posts were working in other provinces of the country but were closed down in Punjab due to unknown reasons.
“Departments of other provinces have resources, force, uniform and powers of prosecution and investigations but these powers were withheld from E&T in 1970,” he said. Sources in E&T said that the decision was taken in Punjab only to facilitate certain influentials who were involved in drug peddling. Some circles in E&T department were of the view that since ANF was a department where huge foreign aid and funding was involved and department receives this from foreign countries which was the reason that transfer of resources was not being done smoothly. A meeting in this regard was also held among Excise and officers of other concerned departments on Saturday.