Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Country Program: Pakistan

Fact Sheet

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

May 3, 2010

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) provides assistance to Pakistan in three primary areas:

• Border Security Program (see separate fact sheet)
• Law Enforcement Reform and Capacity Building (See separate fact sheet)
• Counternarcotics (CN)

The program is nationwide, but particular emphasis is placed on the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), and Baluchistan. Programs are managed in-country by the U.S. Embassy Islamabad’s Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS). All assistance is implemented in close partnership with Pakistan's Federal and provincial government entities.

Counternarcotics (CN)

INL and the Government of Pakistan have collaborated on counternarcotics activities since the 1980s. Pakistan’s counternarcotics efforts are led by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) under the Ministry of Narcotics Control, but also include several other law enforcement agencies such as the FC-NWFP and FC-B, as well as the Home Departments of the NWFP and Baluchistan Province.

Key Program Objectives:

• Disrupt the supply of narcotics originating in Pakistan by supporting Government of Pakistan interdiction programs;
• Enhance the ability of the Government of Pakistan to prevent narcotics trafficking in its territory and increase interdiction activities; and,
• Promote drug demand reduction and public awareness activities to combat drug use.

Strategy: INL achieves these program objectives through the following activities:

• Crop Control – Enables annual poppy monitoring and alternative, high-value crop programs.
• CN Roads and Small Schemes – Constructs roads and alternative development projects including hydro electric schemes to provide legal livelihoods, access to markets, and to enable anti-drug forces access to previously inaccessible areas.
• Training, Operational, and Commodity Support – Geared assistance for government organizations engaged in CN activities, including the Special Investigation Cell within the Anti-Narcotics Force.
• Demand Reduction – Provides public awareness, drug treatment and rehabilitation, and drug survey activities.

Locations: As most illegal drug activities are located along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, most of INL’s counternarcotics activities are focused on the frontier region. Demand reduction activities are currently in Karachi, Sindh, and Peshawar (with satellite drop-in centers in the FATA and NWFP).

Successes:

• Completed over 586 kilometers of counternarcotics roads in FATA (Bajaur, Mohmand, and Khyber agencies) and the Kala Dhaka and Kohistan districts of the NWFP. 73 kilometers of counternarcotics and border security roads are currently under construction. In addition, over 1,000 accompanying agricultural schemes and alternative crops projects in the same agencies and districts have been completed with 16 more under way.
• Continue to enable increased narcotics seizures by way of increased access to remote areas and capacity of law enforcement agencies.
• Continue small alternative crop programs in Kala Dhaka and Kohistan.
• Funded demand reduction programs in Karachi and Peshawar.