Wednesday 14 September 2011

Accord with India to curb drugs


ISLAMABAD: After two days of talks, Pakistan and India signed here on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding for reducing drug demand and preventing trafficking in narcotics.
The Pakistan side at the talks was led by Major-General Syed Shakeel Hussain, Director-General of Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), and the Indian delegation by Shri O.P.S. Malik, Director-General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Under the accord, the two countries will cooperate with each other in preventing suppressing and investigating drug trafficking and exchange literature on laws, rules and best practices for curbing the menace. The two countries will provide legal assistance to each other when considered appropriate and necessary. They also agreed to exchange information of operational, technical and general nature and to communicate operational intelligence. A statement issued at the end of the talks said the two countries shared their concern over the growing menace of narcotic drugs. They described as satisfactory the cooperation and information sharing between the ANF and NCB.
The Indian delegation later held a meeting with Secretary of Narcotics Control Sohail Ahmad who said Pakistan had evolved a roadmap for consultations with all stakeholders.