Topic: Preventing the Smuggling of Illegal Drugs
Country: Pakistan
Delegate Name: Michael Deneroff
School: Roeper School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Pakistan position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
With Pakistan’s proximity to Afghanistan (the largest producer of opiates in the world), Pakistan realizes that it is vulnerable to the smuggling of illegal drugs. The two main types of drugs that pose problems for Pakistan are opiates and cannabis. Pakistan has cracked down on the opium produced in our country, though opiates (specifically heroin) remain a large problem for Pakistan along with the rest of Asia as long as Afghanistan continues to produce immense amounts of opiates. Pakistan has also taken major steps towards decreasing the amount of cannabis (namely hashish) produced in Pakistan by destroying 1000 of the 1700 hectares of land being used to cultivate hashish that the UNODC has reported. Pakistan cooperates fully with the UNODC, and plans to continue to do so.
A major problem in Pakistan’s effort to fight the smuggling of illegal drugs is that a majority of Pakistan’s defense budget is allocated towards defending the nation from insurgent groups. Pakistan believes that to prevent the smuggling of illegal drugs, international support and cooperation are needed. Pakistan has established the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) to fight drug smuggling (from neighboring nations in south-west Asian nations, and also trans-shipments from south-east Asian nations) and drug consumption throughout Pakistan. The most recent action Pakistan has taken towards a long-term solution for preventing the smuggling of illegal drugs was establishing an ANF academy that tremendously aids the fight against narcotics training over 1000 ANF officers within the first year. This is symbol of international cooperation as this academy was partially funded by the United States, Australia, and the UNODC.
Pakistan understands that the smuggling of illegal drugs is a serious issue throughout the world. International cooperation is a necessity to this smuggling throughout the world, but national initiatives are also required. Pakistan looks forward to working with all nations to find a way to further prevent the smuggling of illegal drugs.
