ANF Exposes Anti-National Elements’ Plan to Use Students for Drug Trade
Director Sijjeel stresses drug interdiction remains one of ANF’s highest priorities
Lahore-The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) has expressed grave concern over the growing involvement of students in drug trafficking, warning that anti-national elements are exploiting youth in educational institutions for their nefarious activities.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, ANF Director Syed Sijjeel Haider pointed out that the use of children and women in drug smuggling poses a significant threat to the country’s social, moral, and economic fabric. “Anti-national elements are using not just college and university students but even school children in this heinous game,” he said.
Haider revealed that many young people who go abroad for education and employment are being exploited as drug carriers, resulting in strained diplomatic ties and tarnishing the country’s international reputation.
Sharing the statistics of ANF’s operations in 2024, Haider said the force had seized 113,798 kilograms of drugs in various operations, with an estimated value of $6.5 billion in the international market. The ANF arrested 1,406 individuals, including 116 women and 44 foreign nationals, during these operations. Tragically, three ANF personnel lost their lives while performing their duties.
ANF Busts Drug Trafficking Ring: Seizes 48 kg Charras
To curb drug addiction, the ANF rehabilitated 2,031 addicts in its centers across Karachi, where they are now living drug-free lives. The force also conducted 5,500 awareness sessions in schools, colleges, and universities as part of its ongoing public awareness campaign against drug abuse.
Haider highlighted several key operations, including the seizure of 88 kilograms of hashish and 34 kilograms of opium near Kot Abdul Malik, Lahore, and the recovery of 52 kilograms of opium and 61 kilograms of hashish near the Northern Bypass in Peshawar.
The ANF director stressed that drug interdiction remains one of the force’s highest priorities, particularly as seizures of ice, produced primarily in neighboring countries, have surged from two and a half tons in 2017 to nearly 30 tons in 2023.
In Pakistan, almost 50,000 drug addicts add up each year; the number of drug addicts in the country was increased from 50,000 in 1980 to 8.1 million in 2011 (Raza, 2011). Pakistan had an approximately 25 to 44 percent of students reporting alcohol and/or illicit drug use, and prevalence rates are on the incline.
