[ti:Pakistan, Afghanistan Work Together to Fight Drug Trafficking] [ar:Jim Tedder] [al:As It Is] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Pakistan and Afghanistan are working together [00:03.92]to fight terrorism and increase security along their common border. [00:08.70]Experts hope this kind of cooperation [00:11.76]will lead to more effective efforts against the drug trade. [00:15.44]Many nations have worked together [00:18.94]to fight illegal drug production in Afghanistan. [00:22.58]But the United Nations recently reported another increase [00:27.59]in the amount of Afghan land used to grow opium poppy plants. [00:33.11]Drug dealers use poppy plants to make the drug opium. [00:37.85]Pakistani officials are concerned about [00:41.11]both the increase in Afghan drugs [00:43.83]and plans to withdraw most NATO forces from Afghanistan. [00:49.40]The officials say the two developments [00:52.29]make it difficult for them to fight the drug trade. [00:56.08]Major General Khawar Hanif is the head of Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Force. [01:03.40]He says the international community must continue working together [01:08.94]to fight the Afghan drug problem. [01:11.65]He spoke at a recent international conference in Islamabad. [01:16.51]"Thankfully, the commitment of the present Afghan government [01:21.19]with respect to border control arrangements [01:23.72]and counter-narcotic efforts is quite palpable. [01:27.60]However, we believe that unless there is a whole-hearted support [01:32.21]from the international community proportionate to the drug problem, [01:35.69]the region is going to remain in the same crisis. [01:38.21]Abandoning our Afghan colleagues [01:40.52]to deal with this overwhelming poppy cultivation [01:42.96]and drug production is not an option at all." [01:45.96]Pakistan shares a 2,500-kilometer border with Afghanistan. [01:52.64]Most of it is unguarded. [01:54.97]General Hanif says the largely open territory [01:59.10]makes it difficult for Pakistan to stop terrorism and drug trafficking. [02:05.09]Pakistan and Afghanistan have exchanged high-level military officials. [02:11.57]The exchanges are part of joint efforts [02:14.71]to improve security and deal with militants [02:18.29]involved in attacks on both sides of the border. [02:21.76]Cesar Guedes is the representative for the UN anti-drug office in Pakistan. [02:28.92]He says joint efforts are needed to fight the drug trade in the area. [02:34.34]"I think that is the key element for success [02:40.08]in combating drugs trafficking in this part of the world. [02:42.66]The main producing country plus the main transit country [02:47.03]need to strengthen their efforts effectively, [02:50.49]very professionally and with all the sectors [02:54.19]in both countries joining efforts to tackle this regional problem." [02:58.44]Mr. Guedes says illegal drugs from Afghanistan are commonly sold in Europe. [03:04.85]He says the drugs are often shipped through Pakistan. [03:08.99]"It's approximately 45 to 50 percent of the opiates produced in Afghanistan [03:17.90]that use Pakistan as a preferred stepping-stone on, [03:22.18]onwards (to) international market. [03:24.30]Then, about 30 percent goes via the Islamic Republic of Iran [03:31.26]and the balance -- 20-something percent via the central Asian republics [03:37.54]onwards to Russia and Europe." [03:40.21]Pakistani officials say the increased production of Afghan drugs [03:45.40]has also led to an increase in drug use among Pakistanis. [03:50.57]I'm Jim Tedder. [03:52.48]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com