June 2001

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

By : Syed Asad Ali

Introduction

During the past couple of years a sharp decline in indigenous Pakistani narcotics production has been recorded by reducing poppy cultivation by 48%. But geographical condition of Pakistan keeps her pivotal in transit of Afghan opiates and cannabis. However, major achievement in controlling drug production and transit was possible only through: -

a) Cooperation on drug control with the U.S.

b) Formation of a Special Investigative Cell (SIC) within the Anti- Narcotics Force (ANF) with DEA assistance.

c) Heroin seizures increased by 57 percent.

d) The arrest of high-profile traffickers.

e) Pakistan extradited four narcotics fugitives to the U.S. and arrested six others.

Efforts to extend application of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act (CNSA) and the Anti-Narcotics Force Act (ANFA) to tribal areas in North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

The cabinet approved the drug control master plan in early 1999.

Position of Pakistan

According to USG figures, in 1999 Pakistan registered significant progress towards achieving its goal of eliminating opium production by the year 2000. The opium poppy crop fell to a record low of 1570 hectares. While Pakistani opium production has plummeted, neighbouring Afghanistan has become the world’s largest opium producer by increasing poppy cultivation at least 23 percent in 1999. As a result, Pakistan faces major challenges caused by the flow of opiates from Afghanistan. Pakistan must also cope with its own growing addiction problems. 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 diversion of AA from licit imports. Pakistan is not a major money laundering country, but, given the level of drug trafficking, smuggling and official corruption, money laundering almost certainly occurs, mostly by means of unofficial, traditional money transfer facilities, known as ‘hawala.’

Effective Policy

Implementation of the Drug Abuse Control Master Plan approved by the then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998 has been slowed by a lack of funds. Only $180 thousand of an estimated five-year cost of $60.9 million was allocated in the 1999-2000 budget. In 1998, the GoP extended the ANF Act to Pakistan’s tribal areas, allowing for the first time application of Pakistan’s anti-narcotics laws in these areas. The ANF is pursuing a strategy to establish its control incrementally within tribal areas never before subject to Federal control. To achieve this goal within a short span of time, adequate resources and closer cooperation with other law enforcement agencies will be necessary.

Control modus

In 1999, opium poppy cultivation was reduced by 48 percent. GoP officials remained vigilant to the possible re-establishment of heroin or morphine base laboratories, and two labs located 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. Four indicted narcotics offenders were extradited to the U.S. during 1999, double the number of 1998. Six fugitives subject to U.S extradition requests were arrested in 1999 and are in various stages of extradition hearings.

Credibility with respect to law enforcement

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) is Pakistan’s principal narcotics law enforcement agency. In 1998 the GoP began to examine ways to strengthen the institutional capacity and performance of the ANF. Although the ANF has an authorized personnel strength of 1932 it is currently operating with 1270. The problem of unfilled slots in the ANF was partially overcome when the GoP decided to lift the ban on new hiring which had been imposed earlier as an austerity measure. The ANF has initiated steps to recruit 292 personnel. But performance incentives also need to be improved and with this in mind, the incentive structure for ANF personnel is being revised. Personnel in the higher echelons of the ANF are temporarily assigned from the army or the police. New recruits arrive without counter narcotics training and remain with the ANF for only three years. This limits the effectiveness of specialized training. A major accomplishment was the establishment of a so-called “Vetted Unit” the Special Investigative Cell (SIC), accomplished with DEA assistance. The purpose of this move was to improve intelligence collection and investigative capacity and improve esprit and reduce corruption and intelligence leaks. With donor assistance, the ANF was also able to improve ground mobility and communications capability.

Pakistan’s illicit drug seizures were up significantly compared to the same period in 1998. These figures show 3.9 MT of heroin, 11.5 MT of opium and 70.0 MT of hashish seized during 1999 whereas 2.36 MT of heroin, 3.65 MT of opium, and 44.80 MT of hashish were seized for the same period in 1998. Acetic Anhydride seizures consisted of small consignments originating in India. 1999 was a record setting year for ANF seizures of heroin and opium recovered in individual raids (a 213% increase in heroin seizures) with ANF Balochistan making major contributions. Particularly noteworthy were a 760 kg heroin seizure in Kharan District of Balochistan and a seizure in Turbat District of Balochistan of 2951 kg of opium, 2580 kg of hashish and 111 kg heroin. Apart from the ANF law enforcement agencies most actively engaged in drug seizures include the police, Pakistani Customs and the Frontier Corps.

Pakistan’s Coast Guard (cg) achieved a major breakthrough with a November 1999 seizure of 248 kg heroin, 22 kg opium and 600 kg of hashish in the coastal town of Hub in Balochistan. Customs seizures were down 12 percent and Frontier Corps Balochistan seizures decreased by 22 percent as compared to the previous year. Despite decreased heroin seizures by Customs, it continued to play an important role at international airports in the interception of heroin couriers belonging to foreign trafficking organization particularly those run by Nigerians. During 1999, the total worth of frozen drug traffickers’ assets stood at around the previous year’s level of $5.8 million. 1998 marked the first year that a court ruled in favour of forfeiture of assets to the government. In Tasnim Jalal Goraya’s precedent setting case, assets worth approximately $434,783 were forfeited based on Goraya’s conviction in the U.S. on a narcotics offence. Goraya filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting a stay of the order of the court, which is still pending.

The early 1999 arrest of Rahman Shah Afridi, owner of an English language daily and an influential politician from Lahore, was a significant test of the ANF’s ability to target politically powerful traffickers. The accused is in jail pending trial. Similarly, an influential politician belonging to the then-ruling party, Siddique Gujjar was arrested with 5kg of heroin. This arrest led to the detention of officials of other law enforcement agencies posted at the Islamabad Airport connected with the gang. These officials are awaiting trial on corruption charges.

There were no convictions of major drug traffickers in 1999. The prosecution of prominent drug offenders Sakhi Dost, Jan Notezai, and Manawar Hussain Manj continued to drag out in the courts. Manj is an ex-member of Pakistan’s National Assembly. He was arrested on drug charges in April 1995. His case is being tried in the court of the additional session judge in Lahore. The accused applied for bail, which was rejected by the Supreme Court. Defence attorneys were successful in delaying court proceedings. Notezai is a member of a politically and economically prominent family in Balochistan. His case has been pending in the courts since 1993. In 1998, Notezai’s appeal to the Supreme Court for a new trial was rejected, which cleared the way for a lower court in Queta to conclude the trial.

The prosecutions of most criminal and narcotics cases in Pakistan are delayed because of the willingness of judges to grant continuances, the ability of the defendants to file interlocutory appeals, the difficulty of compelling witnesses to testify and the appearance that bribery in the lower courts can influence the outcome of cases. The ANF is seeking to strengthen its law directorate to help expedite the disposition of cases in the courts. The GoP recognizes that this cumbersome judicial process poses a serious handicap to attacking the narcotics problem effectively.

Corruption, Low salaries threaten the integrity of law enforcement and judicial institutions. However, neither the GoP (as a matter of policy) nor any senior government official encourages or facilitates the illicit production or distribution of narcotics or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. In 1998 a Swiss judge indicted Asif Ali Zardari former investment minister and husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, on a charge of money laundering. Zardari’s case is still pending in the Superior Court and he remains detained. Former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif along with many other politicians and former civil servants, are being investigated on charges of corruption. To check official corruption more effectively, the President of Pakistan promulgated the National Accountability Bureau (Amendment) Ordinance 1999, which seeks swift justice and carries harsh penalties.

The 1997 CNS act included a provision to punish narcotics-related corruption. In an important case in 1998, that law was invoked for the first time against a Magistrate. The Magistrate was arrested for releasing an individual who was indicted for smuggling heroin to UK. The Magistrate failed to consult the arresting authority (the ANF) before granting bail to the individual, who remains at large. Another Magistrate involved in this case was also arrested. Both Magistrates, whose services were suspended, have since been granted bail by the Supreme Court. Two assistant superintendents of jail were dismissed from service for assisting narcotics smugglers escape from jail in Mardan. 

Production rates

1570 ha, of opium poppy were cultivated in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province in 1999, compared to 3030 ha. in 1998. Poppy cultivation took a new turn during 1999 with the sudden explosion of high-density cultivation (an estimated 900 hectares) in Bara River Valley of Khyber Agency, on the border of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. Following Khyber were Dir district, the Mohmand and Bajaur agencies. Potential opium production for 1999 was estimated by the USG to be 37 MT, compared to 65 MT in 1998 sharp increase in opium poppy production as well in 1999.

UNDCP provides alternative development assistance in Dir. The UK and U.S. have been the principal donors for the UNDCP project. The USG directly funds alternative development projects in Mohmand and Bajaur agencies and contributes to poppy enforcement operations in those agencies and Dir district. A significant quantity of poppy was forcibly eradicated in 1999 in Mohmand and Dir. While enforcement operations have been routinely conducted in Bajaur and Mohmand, they were not vigorously conducted in Dir until 1998. The 1999 enforcement campaign in Dir was a major undertaking to establish the government’s credibility with farmers and donors with respect to enforcement.

Position as Transit media

Both cannabis and opiates transit through Pakistan. Afghanistan is the primary source of opiates passing through Pakistan. Afghan opiates trafficked to Europe and North America enter Pakistan’s Balochistan and NWFP provinces and exit either through Iran’s or Pakistan’s Makran Coast or through international airports located in Pakistan’s major cities. They also transit land routes from Balochistan to Iran and from the tribal agencies of NWFP to Chitral area where they re-enter Afghanistan at Badakhshan province for transit through Central Asia.

It is estimated that Pakistan uses 98 MT of opium a year to meet the needs of Pakistani addicts; however, decreasing production of opium in Pakistan means that more Afghan opium is destined for the Pakistani market. Some opiates cross Pakistan enroute to India. An estimated 80 percent of heroin smuggled out of Southwest Asia is destined for the European Market. The balance goes to the western hemisphere or elsewhere in Asia. Couriers who were intercepted this year were attempting to travel to Africa, Nepal, Europe, Thailand, and the Middle East. Due to drug production increases and border tensions between Afghanistan and Iran, the volume of opiates entering Pakistan from Afghanistan in 1999 increased.  

International assistance

The USG provided $2.311 million in narcotics control assistance to Pakistan in 1999. This amount included $720,000 from DEA for the establishment of a vetted unit (SIC) within ANF. In addition to narcotics law enforcement, the USG continues to fund alternative development poppy reduction projects in Mohmand and Bajaur and public awareness projects in support of Pakistan’s demand reduction efforts. The ANF provided full cooperation to DEA to establish the SIC, trained and equipped by the USG to target major heroin trafficking organizations. The results produced by the SIC since its inception in August 1999 have been encouraging.

Formation of Interdiction Committees in Balochistan and NWFP and extension of the CNS and ANF acts to NWFP’s tribal areas last year were welcome moves. The progress of these initiatives has been slower than desired. However, strengthening inter-agency cooperation remains a priority, particularly in Balochistan and the NWFP. Alternative development poppy reduction projects in NWFP’s Mohmand and Bajaur agencies contributed toward major reductions in poppy cultivation in 1999. In Mohmand cultivation declined from 570 ha in 1998 to 200 in 1999, and in Bajaur, from 430ha to 150 ha.

Pakistan also received counter narcotics assistance from other sources in 1999. Principal among these were UNDCP and the UK. UNDCP began a $5.2 million three-year narcotics law enforcement programme in 1999. This will complement U.S. bilateral assistance and UNDCP’s on-going enforcement project bringing Iran and Pakistan together. UNDCP also expects to begin a demand reduction programme in the near future.

Anticipations

The USG will work closely with the GoP to target major heroin trafficking organizations and increase seizures of large shipments of opiates and precursor chemicals. The SIC will play an important role in this strategy. The USG will continue to encourage GoP efforts to eliminate opium poppy production before the end of 2000. The U.S. will work with the GoP to expedite extradition requests and to strengthen Pakistan’s ability to attack money laundering. The U.S. is developing a maritime enforcement programme with the Maritime Security Agency, Coast Guard, Customs, ANF and other littoral states.

Summary of Statistics

(1991-1999)

                                                1999            1998            1997            1996            1995            1994            1993            1992            1991

Opium

Potential Harvest (ha)                 1,570            3,030            4,100            3,400            6,950            7,270            6,280            8.170            8,205

Eradication (ha)                                    1,197            2,194            654            867            0            463            856            977            440

Cultivation (ha)                         2,767            5224            4,754            4,267            6,950            7,733            7,136            9,147            8,645

Potential Yield (mt)                              37            65            85            75            155            160            140            175            180

Seizures

Opium (mt)                               11.50            5.02            8.54            8.08            215.52            14.36            4.40            3.4            5.9

Heroin (mt)                               3.90            3.33            5.07            4.05            18.04            6.20            3.9            2.9            5.7

Hashish/Marijuana (mt)                        70.00            65.33            108.50            201.55            543.58            178.29            189.00            188.12            236.87

Labs Destroyed                                2            0            4            10            15            18            13            11            18

Acetic Anhydride (ltr)              369            10,000            5,383

Arrests                                     36,665            37,745            50,565            51,119            59,081            48,296            39,763            45,984            46,041

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About the author

Syed Asad Ali doing his Masters in Journalism. Affiliated with a Daily Newspaper, as an investigative reporter.