RAWALPINDI, Feb 17: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has expressed concern over the increase in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, saying it will have a negative impact on Pakistan in particular and the world at large.

He was talking to reporters at the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) headquarters on Thursday. "The increase in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is a negative development. It will have negative fallout on Pakistan and other countries. We are in contact with the Afghan government and are also planning to take action against laboratories which deal in processing of opium," he said.

About Pakistan, the prime minister said the government had controlled poppy cultivation to a large extent and poppy growers had been provided alternative means of earning.

To a question, he said drug addiction was a great menace as it destroyed the whole society. "The government has been trying to control drug addiction, prevent poppy cultivation, stop heroin consumption and its supply," he added.

Mr Aziz said for this purpose a separate ministry had been formed with Ghous Bux Mahar as minister in order to eliminate this curse from the society. He said rehabilitation concept was being introduced so that drug addicts, who were considered social outcast, could be brought to the mainstream of the society.

He expressed satisfaction over the role of the ANF in combating drug abuse. Out of its meagre resources, the force had been able to control the menace, adding that more resources would be provided to it to make it effective and strengthen its rehabilitation and treatment capacity.

He said the government had approved establishment of two model addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres, one each in Islamabad and Quetta for treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts.

Mr Aziz said drug abuse was a big issue for Pakistan and the world at large. Pakistan, he said, had a big role to play in fighting this menace and also controlling poppy cultivation.

He said the government had also been taking other preventive measures. We have been planning to initiate awareness programmes through educational institutions to educate children in every school and every class about the dangers associated with drug addiction.

Once a child or a grown-up becomes a drug addict, he is lost, he said, adding that it needed a lot to reclaim him and make him an important member of the society.

Earlier, the ANF officials briefed the prime minister about narcotics situation and poppy cultivation in the country. During the briefing, he was informed that in 2003-04, the total area under cultivation in Pakistan was 6,694 hectares of which 78 per cent had been eradicated.

During the year 2004, 7,783kg of heroin, 679kg opium and 57,111kg hashish had been seized by the ANF. From January to February 16, 2005, a total of 1,359kg opium, 1,654kg heroin and 3,719kg hashish had been seized.

The prime minister was informed that a record cultivation of poppy had been made in Afghanistan. According to estimates, the total heroin seizures last year in the region totalled 72 metric tons. Domestic consumption was approximately 112 metric tons.

Since the total production in Afghanistan translated into 360 metric tons, there was still scope for 176 metric tons to be trafficked to the international community. Last year, about 392 foreigners were arrested while trafficking heroin and other drugs from Afghanistan into Pakistan and onward to other countries in the Middle East, Europe and the US, the prime minister was informed.