NEW DELHI, 14 December 2004 — Indian and Pakistani officials met here yesterday to ponder ways of curbing drug trafficking through increased cooperation and concerted efforts.
India and Pakistan must fight together against the growing trade in drugs from Afghanistan through the notorious “Golden Crescent” region, a Pakistani official said yesterday.
“We have to fight the war against narcotic drugs together. It is a common cause, has no borders and has no political considerations,” Maj. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed, director general of Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force, said.
Indian and Pakistani drug-control officials are holding two days of talks in New Delhi as part of the peace plan called “composite dialogue.”
After a half an hour meeting with Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Ahmed said both countries need to work on information and intelligence sharing, sting operations and mutual legal assistance to curb the nefarious trade. “Pakistan and India have to develop confidence as we move ahead. We have to share our best practices in preventing drug smuggling especially that involving heroin,” Ahmed said.
Afghanistan’s record opium production this year — more than 1,31,000 hectares (3,23,570 acres) — was a cause of concern, he said.
“We have to see what the laws of each country allow. The effort is part of an international exercise to prevent drug smuggling,” he added. Earlier Ahmed, who is leading a five-member delegation, began talks with his Indian counterpart Swaraj Puri. The discussions were due to stretch today when the two sides are expected to exchange drafts of an agreement to combat drug smuggling.
An Indian official said both India and Pakistan were used as transit routes for heroin from Afghanistan. Since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, Afghanistan’s opium trade has boomed and is estimated to have earned $2.8 billion this year, up $500 million from 2003.
“Afghanistan is the common problem for India and Pakistan. These talks are about improving coordination,” the official said.
The drug talks were meant to have started at the end of November but were postponed as both teams were busy with an international conference on narcotics.
After two days of discussions, the two sides are expected to exchange drafts of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore ways to fight the problem. These MOUs are likely to be finalized at a later date after detailed consultations are completed, an Indian official said.
The two delegations are expected to discuss common methods for detecting narcotic drugs and ways to control their smuggling.
