US offers Pakistan support to curb narcotics, illegal cross-border movement

• Acting US ambassador meets interior minister in Islamabad.
• Meeting focused on intelligence sharing, curbing drug smuggling.
• Naqvi says strictly enforcing zero-tolerance policy on narcotics.
  

ISLAMABAD: The United States on Saturday offered full technical assistance to Pakistan in combating narcotics and preventing unauthorised cross-border movement.

The development came during a meeting between acting US Ambassador to Pakistan Natalie Baker and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

During the meeting, both sides agreed to intensify cooperation on counter-narcotics and security matters.

The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration in intelligence sharing, curbing drug smuggling, and expanding joint measures to stop illegal migration.

“Our policy on illegal immigration is very clear,” Naqvi stated, emphasising the government’s firm stance on the issue.

He said the identification of drug smuggling cases at airports remains a top priority, adding that state-of-the-art scanning machines are being installed at all major airports across the country.

Naqvi reaffirmed that Pakistan is strictly implementing a zero-tolerance policy against narcotics. “Even today, drugs originating from Afghanistan are reaching dozens of countries and destroying young generations,” he noted.

Pakistan has been facing the issue of illegal immigrants, cross-border terrorist attacks and a sharp rise in terrorism, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban regime came to power.

The interior minister welcomed the US technical support to bolster Pakistan’s counter-narcotics capabilities.

He informed the envoy that, on the prime minister’s directive, the National Narcotics Coordination Centre (NNCC) would be established soon.

During the meeting, officials presented a detailed briefing on the performance of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and ongoing nationwide operations.

Under this year’s annual counter-narcotics campaign, 134 tonnes of drugs were seized, 2,001 suspects — including 75 foreigners — were arrested, and narcotics worth $12.797 billion were confiscated.

Additionally, 110 Afghan nationals were arrested in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh, while 40,659 acres of land were cleared to maintain “poppy-free” status.

Speaking on the occasion, the US acting ambassador Baker lauded the ANF’s performance and reiterated that the US attaches special importance to its relations with Pakistan and will continue cooperation across all sectors.

Naqvi said Pakistan and the US share an important partnership for promoting peace and stability in the region.

“We are committed to further strengthening our longstanding bilateral ties,” he added.