ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior that it has seized 1,453 kilograms of narcotics supplied to educational institutions and arrested more than 300 suspects involved in drug trafficking. The force also dismantled a gang operating through social networking platforms to sell drugs.

The meeting of the Standing Committee on Interior was chaired by Raja Khurram Nawaz. During the session, ANF Brigadier Imran Ali briefed lawmakers on the alarming rise of narcotics in Islamabad, particularly in colleges and universities.

The committee’s chairman raised serious concerns, stating that “Islamabad is flooded with drugs; colleges and universities are not safe. We used to say drugs were smuggled from Afghanistan, but we need clarity on where these supplies are coming from and how they are being sold on campuses.” He further noted that drug mafias in the capital have become so powerful that they were involved in the murder of a local councillor.

Brigadier Imran Ali told the committee that, on the directives of the Prime Minister and the Field Marshal, the ANF launched campaigns inside educational institutions. As a result, drugs worth 1,453 kilograms were seized, over 300 individuals were arrested, and 19 gangs were busted so far this year.

He added that limitations in scanners and operational capacity remained a challenge. Nevertheless, the ANF froze properties worth Rs7 billion linked to drug networks and successfully intercepted groups using social media platforms for narcotics distribution.