Video Pakistan: Growing Drug Epidemic - 2000

Natural Sound


After completely shutting down poppy cultivation in Pakistan, government officials now face the daunting task of stopping drug lords from smuggling it over their borders.


With cheap heroin coming into the country from Afghanistan, they also have a growing drug epidemic among the population.


These Pakistanis haven't lost their minds.


They know how bad heroine is for them, but at the same time they keep on taking it by whatever means they can.


Injecting it, smoking it, and even inhaling it orally.


The heroin addicts, known as "Heronchis" by their fellow countrymen are a usual site in any Pakistani city.


They can be seen along the streets filling their cigarettes and injecting the white drug.


Abdul Hafeez, one of the addicts blames the Afghans for spreading the drug across his country.


SOUNDBITE: (Urdu)

"After Russian invasion of Afghanistan, Afghan refugee brought heroin with them. They sold heroin here and built empires. No one knew the name of heroin before Afghans."

SUPER CAPTION: Hafeez, drug addict


The problem with heroin is not just affecting the men of this country.


According to recent studies, women make up 11 percent of the country's total heroin addicts.


Dharmi, a female addict says that she had no choice but to return to drugs after her and her husband got in an argument.


SOUNDBITE: (Urdu)

"I have been inhaling heroin for last three years. After a dispute my husband had snatched my minor daughter. I had started it as retaliation. Now I have become an addict."

SUPER CAPTION: Dharmi, a woman heroin addict


Medical officials working to combat the problem say that what started off as a drug epidemic can soon turn into any number of different diseases and ailments.


SOUNDBITE: (English)

"We have found that almost 90 percent of the users have been infected with Hepatitis C. A high percent have been found to be infected with H-I-V. So these figures are really very alarming.

SUPER CAPTION: Dr. Saleem Azam, treatment consultant and medical director of Azam Medical Centre


But drug enforcement agents have admitted that stopping drug production in Pakistan is not enough to curb the drug habits of its people.


The next task is curbing the smuggling.


SOUNDBITE: (English)

"The outlet obviously of all the stuff has to be either through Pakistan or Iran. We therefore, instead of a source country ended up as a victim country. We became a transit country for drugs emanating from Afghanistan."

SUPER CAPTION: Brigadier Saleem Akhunzada, Director Sindh Zone of Anti-Narcotic Force


Recent studies show that agents have their work cut out for them.


According to recent figures 75 percent of the world poppy was produced in Afghanistan in 1999.


Which means that it has the potential to produce more than 6-thousand metric tons of heroin a year that may cross its borders en route to Europe and America.




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