QUETTA: The Excise and Taxation Department of Balochistan has intensified its anti-narcotics campaign, destroying more than 2,054 acres of illegal cannabis crops across the province, officials said on Monday.
In the latest phase of the operation, enforcement teams targeted the Gulistan Karez and Sagai areas of Qila Abdullah district. Assisted by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), the teams cleared 310 acres of drug crops within two days, officials said.
Authorities used drones, satellite mapping, and heavy machinery to locate and destroy cannabis fields hidden in rugged terrain.
A departmental spokesperson said 270 acres were manually destroyed, while another 40 acres withered due to water shortages. Officials have so far registered 21 cases, including two new ones from the recent operations.
The department said the campaign is part of a nationwide effort to curb drug cultivation and trafficking. It reaffirmed its commitment to a “zero-tolerance policy” on narcotics and pledged continued coordination with the ANF, local administration, and other law enforcement agencies.
“Our mission is clear — to eliminate illegal drug cultivation and protect future generations,” an official said.
Last week, tribal elders and major landowners in Duki district have signed a formal agreement with the district administration, pledging to ban poppy and hemp farming across the region.
The pact was finalized during a key meeting with Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Naeem Khan. The agreement legally binds all landowners to stop cultivating any prohibited crops and to only grow lawful produce in the future.
In return, the district administration assured compliant landowners that their lands would not be seized and their names would not be placed on the controversial Fourth Schedule, which lists individuals under security surveillance.
To formalise their commitment, the landowners signed affidaths with their ID card numbers and thumb impressions, vowing to fully cooperate with the government. They pledged to work towards making Duki a drug-free and prosperous agricultural district.
