Pakistan recently declared its intentions on taking an active stand in the fight against the sale and distribution of drugs and other controlled substances through the dark web conduit.
To this effect, the Islamic nation has gone on to partner with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) to realize the plan.
This Pakistani anti-drug stand was made official through a statement made by Mr. Shehryar Khan Afridi, the Pakistani minister for narcotics control, this past Monday at a collaborative event dubbed, "Countering Drug Trafficking via Darknet" in Vienna, Austria.
Sentiments from the include expressions of gratitude from the Pakistani authorities to the SCO community for their efforts in fostering strong unity, peace, and economic well-being throughout the region. A particular focus was accorded to the measures the SCO community is taking in uniting the region to curb drug trafficking.
The minister also confirmed that Pakistan has been working hand-in-hand with the SCO to nip out the drug trafficking menace since the rising Islamic nation became a full member of the SCO in 2017.
With respect to Pakistan's prior stance on the "Anti-Drug strategy for the SCO member states 2018-2023", Mr. Khan Afridi ascertained that Pakistan is in no way looking back and all systems in his department are geared towards realizing this outstanding feat.
He went on to add that the umbrella of the SCO will provide a basis for regional cooperation in more avenues than just one. He also publically declared that the first phase of the drug bust operation, Spider Web, which was conducted mid last year, was a beaming success.
The second phase of the operation is scheduled to commence this month. The minister shared his thoughts about this, claiming that it promises to be an even greater success than the first one.
Pakistan's efforts to combat the destructive drug trafficking will place it amongst nations that are on the global front to combat this vice. From the minister's statement, this decision to fight drugs will not only impact the local development of the nation but will also have a positive ripple effect on international relations and global organizations.
Pakistan seeks to work together with its regional and international partners to not only protect its economy but the entire international community from the dangerous trafficking of harmful narcotics.
As confirmed by the minister, the darknet has had a substantial history of facilitating drug trafficking in Pakistan. The specific substances that have been confiscated by authorities from darknet drug trafficking include ALS and Ecstacy pills.
In Pakistan, the figureheads and parastatals involved in drug law enforcement are at a deficiency of the relevant technological awareness to handle anonymous dark web dealings and cryptocurrency payments. At the same, the Islamic country aims to make excellent use of intelligent networks to impede drug and substance movement into the country. This is all as per Mr. Afridi's statement.
Since 2018, Pakistan has made 11 major drug busts. From this, a tentative total of 3300 Ecstacy tablets, 92 grams of MDMA, five cocaine grams, and 36 grams of weed have been confiscated by authorities from operations being conducted in the darknet.
The primary source of the drugs has been identified to be the Netherlands from where they are distributed according to their orders to major towns and cities, including Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Sialkot.
In his parting statement, Mr. Afridi encouraged the global community to collaborate and be vigilant in the fight against drug trafficking. He also urged nation heads and relevant authorities to have the ideal mechanisms in place to police the darknet and ensure that any suspicious drug trafficking activity is uncovered.
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