Senate body for revolutionary steps to control narcotics
By Asim Hussain

ISLAMABAD—The Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control met at the Parliament House Friday with Senator Mrs. Kalsoom Parveen in the Chair has underlined the need for chalking out viable strategies and for launching the awareness campaigns to check the menace of narcotics and illicit drugs trafficking.
It was pointed out that precursor chemical included in the Restricted List of Import Policy Orders were being used for preparation of various illicit drugs and that those involved in the misuse of these chemicals should taken to task. The Committee recommended that the Ministries of Commerce and Narcotics Control should closely coordinate with each other and the NOC for the import of precursor chemicals should be issued by the Ministry of Narcotics Control.
The Committee called for including material in the textbooks focusing on the socio-economic effects of the use of narcotics. The members of the Committee were of the view the Anti-Narcotics Force should be allocated adequate funds to enable the organization to arrest the rising
trend, which was posing threat to the society and the economy of the country.
Earlier, the representatives of the Ministry of Narcotics Control and senior officials of the ANF informed the Committee about the progress on the recommendations made by the Committee. The members of the Committee noted with satisfaction that appropriate steps were being taken in line with the recommendations of the Committee. Minister for Narcotics Control, Mr. Ghaus Bux Khan Maher said that all out efforts were being made at national and international level to control the drug trafficking as it was not only eating the society from inside like a termite but also creating a bad name for the country. The Committee assured its support to the Ministry in overcoming various difficulties and hoped that more efforts would be made to check this social evil appropriately.
The meeting was attended by Senators, Mrs. Tahira Latif, Sardar Mehmood Khan, Syed Muhammad Hussain, and Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan. Senior officials of the Ministries of Narcotics Control, Commerce and Finance were also present.