Out of this, it is estimated that some 15 maunds of opium and 20 maunds of charas are utilised locally within Pakistan, while the rest is smuggled out for sale in other countries.

From this contraband trade, the ten or twelve “big shots” who control this contraband trade in narcotics manage to earn over Rs10 lakhs per month.

The top narcotics people, however, do not figure in the actual smuggling operations, which are carried out through a wide network of agents. Many of these agents are charming women on whom suspicion does not fall easily and who can wriggle their way out by the persuasive power of their charms.

The Railways, unknowingly, of course, play an important part in the transportation of these contraband narcotics, which are brought to Attock from Landi Kotal and sent in goods wagons carrying concrete.

From there, a variety of methods are used to smuggle the narcotics out of Pakistan. Most of them land in Hong Kong, the centre of the Narcotic Trade.

In West Pakistan, the narcotics are sold at ‘addas’ in every city and most of these dens are unobtrusively located in temples and ‘dargahs’. In Lahore alone, it is estimated that there are more than 100 of these opium dens. Cocaine, however, is mostly being sold by betel-shop owners, who offer the addict “special pans” costing anything from Rs 3 to Rs 5.

Another drug being used is morphia, which is freely available from medical agents at 12 annas per tablet. Sometimes, addicts take to morphia injections administrated by compounders. Each such injection costs Re 1.

Thus, the narcotics trade goes on quietly, but dangerously bringing in rich profits [for] those who control it. —Agencies

‘New meaning to P.W.D’ RAWALPINDI: A new meaning was on Thursday given here to the PWD, Plunder Without Danger.

A member of the Rawalpindi Divisional Council, who is also a leading novelist and editor of a local Urdu daily, said during a discussion on corruption in the Public Works Department (PWD) that the “real meaning” of PWD was: “Plunder Without Danger.”—Agencies