The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) works to keep Americans safe at home by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. INL helps countries deliver justice and fairness by strengthening their police, courts, and corrections systems. These efforts reduce the amount of crime and illegal drugs reaching U.S. shores.
Challenges: Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country of 230 million people, is critical to the stability and security in the region. We continue to cooperate on civilian security, including border security, law enforcement and justice sector development, corrections and counternarcotics.
Goals: INL works with Pakistani authorities to help them combat violent extremism and expand governance by enhancing the professionalism and capabilities of civilian law enforcement entities and improving public confidence in these institutions. Through training and equipment, INL is helping Pakistan to increase the capacity of civilian law enforcement to maintain law and order and improve the adjudication of complex crimes, like terrorism. INL is also supporting Pakistan’s efforts to manage a sustainable, humane, and effective correctional system and enhance surveillance and border monitoring activities to improve counterterrorism and counternarcotics activities. Additionally, INL-Pakistan supports programs that enhance the capacity of Pakistani women to preserve law and order, promote gender equality, and serve as role models in the justice system.
Accomplishments: With the support of INL, Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force reported seizing 6 metric tons of morphine and heroin, 7.9 metric tons of opium, 3.26 kgs of cocaine, and 61.4 metric tons of hashish during the first 10 months of 2019 – denying revenue to drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups. INL has trained over 2,000 prosecutors, judges, courtroom administrators, and investigators on effective prosecutions. INL has sponsored over 314 Pakistan prison officials for training at the International Corrections Management Training Center in Colorado to assist the corrections system as it manages high-threat prisoners from extremist groups.