By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker to discuss deepening bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.
The meeting, attended by senior officials from the Interior Ministry, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), and the US embassy, focused on counter-narcotics operations, curbing illegal immigration, and intelligence sharing.
During the briefing, Naqvi highlighted the ANF’s recent operations, noting that under the annual counter-narcotics campaign, authorities seized 134 tons of drugs and arrested 2,001 suspects, including 75 foreign nationals, with an estimated street value of $12.8 billion.
Officials also reported the clearance of over 40,000 acres in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh, and the maintenance of “poppy-free” areas. Ambassador Baker praised the ANF’s performance and offered full technical support to strengthen Pakistan’s anti-narcotics and border security efforts.
Naqvi emphasized the government’s zero-tolerance policy toward drug trafficking, the installation of advanced screening equipment at airports, and the planned establishment of a National Narcotics Coordination Centre under the Prime Minister’s guidance.
