Ceremony for Handing Over of Equipment to the Excise Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

 

Peshawar, 21 January 2016 - On behalf of Mr. Cesar Guedes, UNODC Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Anila Rahim, Program Officer (Precursors) handed over the IT equipment to the Excise, Taxation, & Narcotics Control Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). The UNODC assistance package, comprising HP laptops and printers, was received by Mr. Muhammad Israr, Secretary Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department KPK. Mr. Muhammad Nasir, Director General Excise, Taxation, & Narcotics Control was also present on the occasion.

The assistance package will help the Excise, Taxation, & Narcotics Control Department KPK in enhancing its data collection and records related to drugs and precursors seizures. The overall aim is to encourage the automation of drug seizures.  

The Department of Excise & Taxation is the main tax collecting agency for each provincial government. It is the exclusive authority that issues and administers licenses of liquor; and is also responsible for the suppression of excise and narcotics related crimes. In 2010, after the incorporation of the 18 th Amendment into the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the mandate of excise and taxation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has increased manifold as the subject of narcotics (opium and related drugs) has since become a provincial subject. 

The Secretary intimated that on 17 April 2015, on the orders of the Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the appellation of the E&T Department has been officially changed to that of " Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control".   

Historically, the Excise & Taxation Department has been actively involved in the control of narcotics and of opium production; and this responsibility plus that of trade assigned to the Excise Department in the Rules of Business.  

For this purpose, the E&T (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Department has already drafted a bill entitled " Provincial Control of Narcotics Substance Act 2013", which has been tabled as an Agenda item for the Provincial Cabinet for principal approval, after which it shall be put up to the Provincial Assembly. The Department has established a separate wing, Excise & Narcotics, with all supporting elements viz. wireless systems, human resources, weapons, mobile squads, intelligence squads, etc. 

Thanking UNODC Pakistan for its continued assistance, Secretary Muhammad Israr reaffirmed the Excise, Taxation, & Narcotics Control Department's commitment to combating the menace of narcotics trafficking in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "The Department's operational staff is gaining enormous technical advantage due to the equipment, and drugs and precursors training courses, being provided by UNODC", he stated. 

This equipment has been supplied by UNODC as part of its Pakistan Country Programme (2010-2015) funded by the Government of the United Kingdom