Standing Committee Urges Stricter Anti-Narcotics Measures

News Desk

Islamabad: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control on Wednesday reviewed the performance of law enforcement agencies, ongoing anti-narcotics efforts, and the Capital Development Authority’s cleanup operations.

The committee, chaired by Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, MNA, confirmed minutes of its previous meeting before receiving a briefing from the CDA, which assured that cleanup operations in sectors F-10 and F-11 would be completed soon.

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) briefed the members on federal and provincial measures against narcotics, including the Sindh government’s Rapid Response Unit (RRU), which is currently hampered by manpower shortages.

ANF officials said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), comprising 32 law enforcement agencies, was coordinating nationwide operations. They also informed members of an awareness campaign against drug use in Islamabad’s educational institutions.

The committee directed the ANF to adopt stricter measures and submit a detailed progress report in the next meeting. MNA Sharmila Faruqui expressed satisfaction over the recommendations.

On the legislative side, the committee referred the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2025, to the National Assembly, while consideration of three other bills was deferred. Faruqui withdrew the Islamabad Animal Protection Bill, 2025.

The committee also discussed FIRs relating to Imran Ullah’s recovery and illegal land occupation by the National Assembly Employees Cooperative Housing Society (NAECHS). Islamabad Police were directed to take immediate action in coordination with affected employees.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Anjum Aqeel Khan, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmed Abbas, Nosheen Iftikhar, Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, Syed Rafiullah, Haji Jamal Shah Kakar, Abdul Qadir Patel, Khawaja Izhar Ul Hassan, Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani, Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq, and Sharmila Faruqui, along with senior officials from FIA, ANF, CDA, and other ministries.