KARACHI – Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that narcotics worth dollars 5 billion is being traded from Afghanistan via porous border routes of Balochistan.
“Smuggling is going on unabated but at the same time we need to support our coast guards and provide them sophisticated equipment to monitor any illegal activity including narcotics and human trafficking,” he said while addressing the passing out parade of 34th batch of Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) at their training centre at Korangi on Thursday.
He announced that four new battalions of coast guards would be raised and helicopters, speed boats and planes would be provided to further improve their surveillance. Out of the 326 recruits of the 34th batch, 83 hailed from Balochistan, he said added that it was on the directive of the prime minister and the president that initiative had been taken to give equal opportunity to the people of Balochistan to be recruited in law enforcing agencies.
He further said the enemies were hatching conspiracies against the country all the time but the government would foil all such attempts. He added that Pakistan was facing serious threat of terrorism and warned that all such elements would be eliminated with full force. He said the coast guards were being given all powers of customs and immigration to boost their powers to check any illegal activity in their jurisdiction.
He added that allowances of the guards would also be raised and five percent job quota would be for women who were also required to be recruited as the coast guards. He also announced Rs 1 million as ‘Shuhda Fund’ for the coast guards as seed money on behalf of the Interior Ministry. Earlier, PCG Director General Brig Shaheryar Khan also gave a presentation and highlighted the performance of the coast guards.
