PUNJAB Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched Pakistan’s first provincial Counter Narcotics Force (CNF) in a ceremony held on Tuesday.
With this move, Punjab once again takes the lead by establishing a specialized force dedicated to eradicating the menace of drugs from the province. The province has made history by implementing institutional, administrative measures and constitutional reforms to address this growing threat.
No doubt, we already have a national Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), which has played a positive role in combating the menace of drugs but the problem of drug-trafficking is assuming new dimensions with the passage of time due to various reasons and factors. It is now known to all that drug-traffickers have started targeting educational institutions, presenting a potent threat to the health and future of our young generations. In this backdrop the decision of the Punjab Chief Minister to establish a dedicated force to check the spread of narcotics is a timely initiative. Appreciably, CNF stations and regional directorates have been set up across all divisions of Punjab. In the second phase, CNF will expand its operations to the district level. The CM has rightly pointed out that Punjab needed specialized departments to serve a growing population and this has been confirmed by reports of a significant drop in crimes in matters of weeks after a specialized crime control department was created. It may be noted that several specialized forces have already been established in Punjab, including the Wildlife Force, Environment Force, Forest Force and the PERA Force. Now, the province holds the distinction of forming the first-ever Counter Narcotics Force at the provincial level to combat drug-related issues and hopefully it will serve as a model for other provinces to emulate.
