Following the drastic political changes in Afghani-stan and its impact on the wider region, Federal Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control Dr. Syed Kaleem Imam on Wednesday said the Government of Pakistan will continue its efforts to strengthen peace and socio-economic stability in Afghanistan.
A joint inauguration ceremony was held at the Ministry of Narcotics Control in coordination with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the Japan-funded Border Security Project.
Dr. Kaleem offered his gratitude to the Government of Japan for its continuous official development assistance in Pakistan, as an old-time friend and a strategic partner in the Asia-Pacific region, a press release issued. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Mitsuhiro Wada, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipo-tentiary to Pakistan, Dr. Syed Kaleem Imam, Dr. Jeremy Milsom, Representative of UNODC Coun-try Office Pakistan (COPAK) and senior officials from the Ministry of Narcotics Control, ANF, the Embassy of Japan, and UNODC COPAK.
Dr. Syed Kaleem Imam thanked the Embassy of Japan and UNODC COPAK for successfully im-plementing the capacity-building activities under the 5-year project that commenced in April 2016. He also highlighted the emerging misuse of the internet for drug peddling and money-laundering, a growing challenge for the rule of law and socio-economic development.
“We highly appreciate the continuing capacity-building interventions by UNODC – our closest strategic partner in the UN family. The ANF contin-ues its leading counter-narcotics efforts not only in Pakistan, but we have also facilitated drug interdic-tion operations together with our international part-ners, through sharing of timely and accurate infor-mation.
The delegates, Dr. Milsom thanked Imam and ambassador Wada for their presence at the occasion and their role in facilitating this impor-tant event at the Ministry following strict SOPs, due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.
While concluding the inauguration ceremony, Mitsuhiro Wada appreciated the substantial efforts provided by UNODC, the Minis-try of Narcotics Control, and the ANF in this project funded by Japan. “We understand that these contri-butions have greatly assisted the Government of Pakistan in its path to achieving a drug-free state.
Ensuring stability and peace are central to realizing sustainable development in Pakistan, and we are honored to be part of this great journey. We truly appreciate the dedication demonstrated by the ANF and other border law enforcement agencies in the line of duty, to combat illicit drug trafficking and associated money laundering more effectively”, expressed Ambassador Wada.
