Drug abuse in Pakistan - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

DRUG ABUSE IN PAKISTAN
Act also allows the Government to set up Special
Courts with exclusive jurisdiction <strong>in</strong> drug matters
and to establish a National Fund for the Control of
<strong>Drug</strong> Abuse to be partially funded from assets forfeited
under the legislation. Provision is also made
for the mandatory report<strong>in</strong>g by banks and f<strong>in</strong>ancial
<strong>in</strong>stitutions of suspicious f<strong>in</strong>ancial transactions.
Chapter VI of the CNS Act 1997 deals with treatment
and rehabilitation of addicts:
Article 52 stipulates that Prov<strong>in</strong>cial Governments
shall register all drug addicts for the purpose of
treatment and rehabilitation while the Federal
Government is held responsible to bear the cost
for first-time compulsory detoxification or deaddiction
of an addict.
Article 53 requests the Prov<strong>in</strong>cial Governments to
establish as many treatment centres as necessary
for detoxification, de-addiction, education,
after-care, rehabilitation, social <strong>in</strong>tegration of
addicts and for supply of such medic<strong>in</strong>es as are
considered necessary for the detoxification of
the addicts.
In 1998, the CNS Act was extended to the Federal
and Prov<strong>in</strong>cial Adm<strong>in</strong>istered Tribal Areas, but overall
implementation of the Act has progressed rather
slowly. Up till the present time, no prov<strong>in</strong>cial registration
of addicts has taken place and the prov<strong>in</strong>cial
treatment centres referred to <strong>in</strong> Article 53 are yet to
be established.
National drug control policies,
priorities and plans
In 1995/96, the Government of <strong>Pakistan</strong> with assistance
from UNDCP prepared a comprehensive
Master Plan for <strong>Drug</strong> Abuse Control: 1998-2003. In
1998, UNDCP revitalized this plan and advocated at
the highest level for its speedy approval. Follow<strong>in</strong>g
m<strong>in</strong>or amendments, the Master Plan was approved
by the Prime M<strong>in</strong>ister’s Cab<strong>in</strong>et <strong>in</strong> February 1999.
The Master Plan is structured around six objectives
and related strategies, outputs and activities.
Three of the objectives aim at strengthen<strong>in</strong>g law
enforcement, two refer to demand reduction and one
to supply reduction. The f<strong>in</strong>ancial requirements for
the five-year duration of the plan have been estimated
at Rs 2,832 million (approx. US$ 56 million).
Federal and Prov<strong>in</strong>cial Governments, <strong>United</strong> <strong>Nations</strong>
agencies, multi- and bilateral donors have been <strong>in</strong>dicated
as possible sources of fund<strong>in</strong>g.
National <strong>in</strong>stitutional framework
and capacity
The Narcotics Control Division: <strong>Pakistan</strong>’s drug control
policy mak<strong>in</strong>g and plann<strong>in</strong>g is the responsibility of
the Narcotics Control Division which forms part of
the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Interior and Narcotics Control which
was created <strong>in</strong> 1989. The Narcotics Control Division
is headed by a Secretary who is UNDCP’s designated
government counterpart.
In the Anti Narcotics Force Act 1997, the Anti
Narcotics Force (ANF) has been given primary
responsibility for <strong>in</strong>terdict<strong>in</strong>g the production, smuggl<strong>in</strong>g,
traffick<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>abuse</strong> of narcotics substances
and illicit psychotropic substances. Although the
Anti Narcotics Force Act does not make direct reference
to demand reduction activities, ANF cont<strong>in</strong>ued
to implement demand reduction projects which had
been previously implemented by the <strong>Pakistan</strong>
Narcotics Control Boards (PNCB). The <strong>Drug</strong> Abuse
Prevention Resource Centre (DAPRC) that was established
under the PNCB with significant assistance
from USAID, has been ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed by the ANF and
has been quite active as long as assistance from
donors, ma<strong>in</strong>ly from the <strong>United</strong> States and the
European Commission, was forthcom<strong>in</strong>g. Currently,
there are two departments with<strong>in</strong> ANF that deal with
demand reduction: DAPRC and the Plann<strong>in</strong>g and
Development Department. Both Departments are
headed by a Director who report to the Deputy
Director-General of ANF.
Socio-economic characteristics
of <strong>Pakistan</strong>
Poor social and economic conditions <strong>in</strong> <strong>Pakistan</strong>
have a broad impact on <strong>Pakistan</strong>’s overall health
situation and <strong>in</strong>crease vulnerability of the general
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