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Pakistan is Asia’s seventh largest country, occupying the north-western portion of South Asia. It covers an area of 796,095 square kilometres. The country expands for more than 1,600 kilometres from south to north, and approximately 880 kilometres from west to east. Pakistan is bounded to the west Iran, to the north by Afghanistan, to the northeast by China, to the east and southeast by India, and to the south by the Arabian Sea. According to a 1998 census, Pakistan has a population of 130.58 million.[1]

(I) Cultivation and Production

Opium: In 1995-96, the Government of Pakistan with assistance from the United Nations Drug Control Programme prepared a comprehensive Master Plan for Drug Abuse Control 1998-2003. One of the objectives of the Master Plan is to control the supply and production of narcotic substances within the country through :

Pakistan made progress towards decreasing opium production as a whole from 800 metric tonnes in 1980 to near zero metric tonnes in 2000. Dir district and Bajaur Agency have been responsible for the bulk of opium poppy cultivation in Pakistan over the years. In 2000, opium poppy cultivation in Dir district has been brought down to zero based on a voluntary shift by poppy-growing farmers to alternative crops. In this district, poppy harvested came down from around 3,700 hectares in 1992, 39% of the country’s total, to zero in 2000.

Cannabis: In the Near and Middle East region, the leading cannabis producing countries are Afghanistan and Pakistan. Like Heroin, a considerable part of Afghan Cannabis resin also transits Pakistan fro smuggling to India, Europe, and North America. Cannabis is illicitly cultivated or grows wild on extensive areas in Pakistan (Tribal areas). No cannabis eradication has been reported to have been undertaken in the country. The number of cannabis seizures made by the Government of Pakistan remains to be high.

Heroin: According to the National Survey on Drug Abuse conducted in 1993, the most popular drug in Pakistan is heroin. This drug is used by 1.52 million people (51% of total addicts), whereas Pakistan was free of heroin addicts in 1979. Heroin consumption in Pakistan is estimated to be 80-90 tons per year.

Pakistan claims to have eliminated all heroin labs in the country. Government officials remain vigilant to the possible re-establishment of heroin or morphine-base laboratories. Two labs in Quetta and Rawalpindi were destroyed. Undoubtedly, some persons have simply moved their labs across the border to Afghanistan, where they continue to operate with impunity.

Heroin Seizures 1994-1999 (mt)3

(II) Illicit Drug Trafficking

While Pakistan’s opium production has plummeted, neighbouring Afghanistan has become the world’s largest producer by increasing its poppy cultivation by at least 23 percent in 1999. As a result, Pakistan faces major challenges caused by the flow of opiates from Afghanistan. In 1999, the volume of opiates entering Pakistan from Afghanistan increased, due to drug production increases and border tensions between Afghanistan and Iran.

Both cannabis and opiates transit through Pakistan, for which, Afghanistan is the source. Afghanistan produced an estimated 1670 metric tons of opium in 1999. Afghan opiates smuggled to Europe and North America enter Pakistan through Baluchistan and the North West Frontier Provinces (NWFP). These shipments then exit either through Iran or Pakistan’s Makran Coast, or through international airports located in Pakistan’s major cities. They also transit land routes from Baluchistan to Iran, and from tribal agencies of NWFP to the Chitral area, where they re-enter Afghanistan at Badakhshan province for transit through Central Asia. There is evidence to suggest that Persian Gulf States, such as Kuwait, Muscat and Oman, are increasingly being targeted as transit routes.

In Pakistan, the trafficking from Afghanistan into Iran or the Makran coast has traditionally been carried out by Baluchi tribes. These tribes convoys are equipped with sophisticated arms and communication equipment. Within Pakistan, over 90% of the opium is seized in Baluchistan.

The emergence of West African trafficking organizations is a recent trend. They use the Pakistani land border for crossing into Iran and then use Tehran International Airport.

Pakistan is also an important transit country for the precursor chemical Acetic Anhydride (AA) destined for Afghanistan’s heroin laboratories. Chemical controls are adequate, but there is still a diversion of AA from illicit imports.

According to the last Narcotics Survey on Drug Abuse in Pakistan conducted in 1993, the country has 3.01 million drug addicts of whom 51% are heroin addicts, 29.5% are hashish addicts and 5.7% are opium addicts. There is an estimated 7% annual increase in the addict population in Pakistan. Therefore the addict population has risen to 4.3 million since 1993.4

Results of the UNDCP study on women drug users conducted in 1999 in Karachi and Lahore, revealed that after tranquilizers, the most preferred drug among female abusers was heroin, used by 34 percent of respondents. The highest frequency of daily consumption was found among those using heroin and tranquilizers. A large proportion of respondents (28%) reported multiple drug use of two to five different drugs. The data revealed that drug anuse was found among both literate and illiterate women. 84 percent of the respondents claimed to have been unaware of any negative effects arising from drug abuse prior to their initial use of drugs. 46 percent were not aware that addiciton treatment services were available should they have wished to seek help for their addiction.

In 1999, UNDCP in collaboration with UNAIDS undertook a baseline study of injecting drug users in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city. 89 percent were tested positive for Hepatitis-C (HCV) with no respondent testing positive for HIV. The HCV infection rate among the injecting drug users is more than 10 times higher than in the country’s general population.

Despite the success of the Government of Pakistan in eradicating the opium poppy cultivation and the manufacture of opiates in its territory, the national law enforcement authorities are increasingly encountering difficulties resulting from the large-scale production of and trafficking in opiates in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The Anti-Narcotics Task Force was established by law in December 1991. In 1995, the ex Pakistan Narcotics Control Board (established in 1957) and the Anti- narcotics Task Force were amalgamated to constitute the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF). The reorganized ANF is Pakistan’s principal narcotics law enforcement agency. This body is collaborates with Customs, the Coast Guard and Frontier Corps. in it’s activities.

In 1998, the Government of Pakistan extended the ANF Act to Pakistan’s tribal areas, thus allowing for the first time application of Pakistan’s anti-narcotic laws in these areas. The ANF is pursuing a strategy to establish its control incrementally within tribal areas never before subject to Federal control.

A five-year Drug Abuse Control Master Plan (1998-2003) with an outlay of Rs. 2.8 billion was formulated in 1998. It was to cover the entirety of existing and perspective planning in key areas of enforcement, legislation, administration, policy etc., with the highest priority accorded to demand reduction and forfeiture of illicit assets. Unfortunately, this master plan has slowed down due to the lack of funds. Only $180 thousand of an estimated five-year cost of $60.9 million was allocated in the 1999-2000 budget.

The ANF’s Drug Abuse Prevention and Resource Centre, (DAPRC) is active in demand reduction, particularly in the public awareness area. Pakistan’s religious leaders continue to be educated about drug abuse and are included in demand reduction efforts. The Demand Reduction Project enables teachers, social workers and parents to recognize narcotics abuse and helps them understand addiction issues.

Pakistan also has bilateral narcotics agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, China and India. Despite constant friction in relations between Pakistan and the latter, counter-narcotics officials of both countries have met regularly since 1994 on such issues as operational cooperation in the interdiction of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals that flow across the border.

Pakistan is also a party to the World Customs Organization’s International Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance for the Prevention, Investigation and Repression of Customs Offences (Nairobi Convention, Annex X on Assistance in Narcotics Cases).

A three-year programme (1999-2001) of $5.25 million has been planned by the UNDCP and the Government of Pakistan which, aims to strengthen the drug law enforcement capacity to reduce drug trafficking in Pakistan and in the region. This programme is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen the drug law enforcement capacity of countries surrounding Afghanistan.

In May 1994, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Narcotics Cooperation was signed between the governments of Pakistan Iran and the UNDCP. This MOU enabled the UNDCP to execute a law enforcement project with both governments, which was designed to encourage cooperation on interdiction, as well as improve narcotics law enforcement. The principal beneficiaries of the UNDCP assistance were the Frontier Corps of Baluchistan and the Disciplinary Forces of Iran. UNDCP plans to extend the project through December 2001. Counter-narcotics officials from both countries meet regularly to exchange information on narcotics trafficking.

Public efforts against drug addiction are limited to detoxification, without follow up treatment. Private clinics use a variety of treatment methods against addiction, but relapse rates are high in all treatment methods5.

1. Summary Record of the ECO-DCCU Task Force Meetings. Tehran, 26 – 28 February 2000.

5. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 1999. Released by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. US Department of State, 1999.

[1] The Economic Cooperation Organisation Guide Book.

[2] International Narcotics Control Survey Report 1999.

[3] INCS Report 1999.

4 ANF Digest 1998/1999.

5 US Department of State’ Report 1999.

Topography :

(I) Cultivation and Production

Heroin Seizures 1994-1999 (mt)3

(II) Illicit Drug Trafficking