ANF to recruit 10,000 personnel after PM approval

Islamabad: The Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) is going to get permission from Prime Minister for induction of 10,000 more workforce, as it is short of force and is facing a serious challenge of controlling drugs transit into Pakistan from Afghanistan on its 2,430 kilometers long porous border.

Currently, ANF has total strength of 2,900 personnel that is looking after all airports, sea ports and the country’s longest border with Afghanistan that is major source of drug inflow into Pakistan, officials of the ANF said while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Narcotics Control that met here with Senator Saleem Mandviwalla in the chair here on Wednesday.

Since the prime minister has agreed to approve additional strength of 10,000 personnel for narcotics control, so a summary to this effect is being prepared to get the approval, the official who was briefing the committee regarding the Force’s working, finances and infrastructure informed.

The Committee also approved the Auditor-Generals’ (functions, power and terms and condition of service) amendment bill 2017. This amendment bill has already been passed by the National Assembly and which was then referred by the Senate to the committee for further consideration.

The committee decided that the condition of qualification of the auditor general would be added in the proposed law after taking opinion from the Law Division. The meeting was told that a number of amendments have been necessitated in the Auditor-Generals’ (functions, power and terms and condition of service) Ordinance 2001 after the passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment.

The committee was informed that latest trends in the field of auditing and reforms required amendments in the Ordinance 2001 to bring the organisation at par with the other audit institutions globally.

The committee took briefing from the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) regarding progress on the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) issue with the CNG sector. The ministry informed that a summary will be presented to the Cabinet for settlement of Rs12 billion of GIDC with CNG sector.

The committee expressed displeasure over inordinate delay in taking approval from the Cabinet because matter was referred to the Ministry in October 2017, and decided to write a letter to the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to draw his attention towards this long delay.

Officials of the Ministry however informed that the summary has been with the Cabinet Committee on Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) for quite some time. It was been put up to the Cabinet in October 2017, but it referred the summary to the CCLC. The Minister of Law division has signed the summary and now it will be presented to the earliest cabinet meeting for approval, official informed the committee.