Pakistani anti-drug minister vows iron hand on drugs

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Pakistani anti-drug minister said on Tuesday that the country is facing threats of narcotics and the government will tackle the drug menace with iron hand.

Minister for Narcotics Control Salahuddin Tirmizi said during a ceremony that the country's anti-drug agency is rendering extraordinary endeavors to counter drug trafficking at both national and international level.

The minister lauded Anti-Narcotics Force's (ANF's) achievements and its role as a specialized force in combating trafficking of illicit drugs at national, regional and global level.

ANF Director General Major General Musarrat Nawaz Malik said at the ceremony that a total of 135.064 tons of drugs, valuing 3.95 billion rupees (37 million U.S. dollars), have been burnt in major cities of Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi this year.

Malik said so far this year the ANF has arrested 1,204 people involved in drug trafficking. The drugs include opium, morphine, heroin, hashish, cocaine and amphetamine.

He said out of the 786 cases, 753 cases met conviction, making 96 percent of successful conviction rate.

This year the ANF has frozen drug-related assets worth 933.42 million rupees (8.86 million U.S. dollars), the anti-drug chief added. Enditem