US Minister of the Interior and Chargé d’Affaires review anti-narcotics, security and immigration cooperation
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker.
Pakistan seized 134 tons of narcotics, arrested 2,001 suspects, including 75 foreigners, and confiscated drugs worth $12.8 billion as part of its annual anti-narcotics campaign.
The information was presented during a meeting in which the Minister of the Interior, Mohsin Naqvi, met the US Chargé d’Affaires, Natalie Baker. Both sides reviewed cooperation between Pakistan and the United States on counter-narcotics, security and immigration control, and received updates on ongoing operations of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).
Authorities in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh also detained 110 Afghan nationals, cleared 40,659 acres of poppy cultivation and maintained the region’s poppy-free status. Baker praised the Counter-Narcotics Force’s ongoing operations across the country.
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Discussions focused on expanding intelligence sharing, strengthening operational coordination and jointly addressing drug trafficking networks.
Naqvi said Pakistan had adopted a “clear and firm policy” against illegal immigration, adding that action against human smugglers and undocumented migration would continue “without exception.”
He said narcotics detection at airports remained a top priority, and modern scanning machines were being installed at major airports to bolster inspection capacity. “We are strictly implementing a zero-tolerance policy against narcotics,” he said, warning that drugs from Afghanistan continued to reach multiple countries and posed a global threat to youth.
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Naqvi welcomed Washington’s offer of technical support and said greater cooperation would strengthen Pakistan’s counter-narcotics capability. He added that the government, following the directive of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was moving quickly to establish the National Narcotics Coordination Center to streamline efforts at the national level.
Baker reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting Pakistan’s counternarcotics and border management initiatives, saying Washington attached “particular importance” to its ties with Islamabad.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Interior, the ANF Director General, the ANF Compliance Director, representatives of the US Embassy and other senior officials.
