QUETTA: Commander of the Southern Command, Lt-General Asim Saleem Bajwa, has said that use and trade of narcotics have no place in prosperous and peaceful Balochistan.

Speaking on the occasion of burning hundreds of tons of narcotics in an official ceremony jointly organized by the Anti-Narcotics Force, Excise Department, Frontier Corps, Pakistan Railways in Quetta, the Commander of the Southern Command was of the opinion that use of narcotics by the youth is dangerous destroying their future.

‘We will not allow use and trade of narcotics among the youth which destroys their future. The law enforcing agencies are following zero tolerance policy in regard to narcotics and its use and misuse,” Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa said.

He said that ‘narco money’ is being used in acts of terrorism by the enemies of the people. “Seizure of narcotics worth over 4.5 billion US dollar is a huge money and it is a big credit to the security forces and concerned law enforcing agencies,” Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa said.

He said that the security forces did a great service to the nation by seizing and destroying such a large quantity of narcotics. It is a great success on the part of the security forces, he added.

The forces have saved a score of families from complete destruction Mr Bajwa added. The narcotics included 110 tons of charas, 55 tons of opium, nine tons of morphine besides destroying 128 acres of poppy cultivation Qila Abdullah and Bang on 279 acres of land in Khaliqabad area of Kalat District.

For the first time, after many years, the poppy cultivation had been attacked and destroyed.