3rd NIOC AB Meeting and Consultation Session

By CGR On Jan 31, 2020

The National Initiative against Organized Crimes (NIOC) held its 3^rd Advisory Board (AB) meeting followed by a Consultation Session with stakeholders on organized crimes at Islamabad Club on Friday, January 17, 2020.

The meeting started after a formal luncheon at 1 pm in which a special guest of honor Mr Afzal Shigri, former IG Police Sindh participated. NIOC team was pleased to welcome Mr Asad Raza, District Police Officer, Kashmore of Sindh Police to the meeting who participated on the special invitation of Director NIOC. Mr. Raza has undertaken to write a Paper on Human Trafficking in Interior Sindh, especially in the context of exploitation of women and children. NIOC declared him as a Champion of Change in its mission against organized crime.

The Advisory Board meeting was chaired by President NIOC, Mr Tariq Parvez, and attended by members Mr Fiaz Khan Toru, Mr Zahid Hussain and Mr Zubair Habib. Mr Fasih Zaka could not attend due to his prior commitments at Lahore. Director NIOC Tariq Khosa, Secretary Amir Rana, Deputy Director Ali Nekokara and Manager Administration and Finance Hassan Sardar participated in the AB Meeting.

The Minutes of 2nd AB Meeting held on December 19, 2019 were formally approved.

Director Khosa briefed the meeting about the Dubai Moot against transnational organized crime held on 8-11 December 2019 under the aegis of Near East and South Asia Institute of the National Defense University of Washington DC USA. He had presented a Paper on Drug Trafficking in Pakistan in the moot on behalf of NIOC.

Director NIOC also informed the meeting that NIOC would like to conduct a 2-day international workshop on Organized Crime in Islamabad in March 2020. He informed that he is in contact with Director NESA for getting some international experts to speak on terror financing, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrimes. He also apprised that he will get in touch with the GI-TOC to invite some relevant experts for the international conference proposed to take place in March.

Director NIOC also briefed the meeting about GI-TOC consultation meeting on organized crime in Bangkok on December 13, 2019. A very useful day-long meeting would result in a Paper that GI-TOC is preparing for the UN. Mr Ian Tenannt, Manager GI Resilience Fund apprised the meeting of recent projects launched globally. NIOC Pakistan was specially mentioned and Director Khosa was given an opportunity to talk about the National Initiative against Organized Crime launched in Pakistan with effect from November 01, 2019.

The meeting also noted that NIOC has issued Newsletters for November and December 2019. Secretary NIOC was asked to prepare a mailing list for dissemination of the monthly Newsletters from the platform of Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS). The Newsletter may also contain updates, alerts and excerpts of relevant articles in the four categories of organized crime that NIOC is addressing.

It was also noted that NIOC website had been launched. It was discussed that the website requires improvements from international best practice perspective. GI-TOC Website is worth emulation in this regard and can be adapted from Pakistan’s standpoint.

NIOC Directorate is working on an Introductory Brochure for wider circulation among the community and relevant stakeholders. Mr. Amir Rana, Mr. Ali Nekokara, Mr. Kashif Noon and Mr. Hassan Sardar are soon expected to come up with a quality draft brochure.

NIOC has come up with an Analysis Paper on Drug Trafficking in Pakistan. The final draft was shared with the Ministry of Narcotics Control for any views and feedback on January 01, 2020. The Paper would be finally disseminated before end of January 2020. The analysis paper on Terror Financing is work in progress. Being a complex issue, NIOC hopes to come up with a draft by mid-February, 2020.

The AB was also apprised that contact has been established with FIA for collaboration on Human Trafficking and Cyber Crimes Analysis Papers. Meanwhile Mr. Asad Raza, SSP of District Kashmore has undertaken to write a paper on human trafficking in interior Sindh, particularly in the context of exploitation of women and children.

Moreover, the meeting noted that Mr. Farrukh Raza, District Police Officer Dadu, Sindh has undertaken to promote drug awareness campaign among youth and students in his district. For that purpose, he will soon organize a debate and speech contest. Mr Zubair Habib of CPLC will coordinate with ANF and ensure that this community outreach initiative is successfully launched as a pilot in interior Sindh.

Member AB Zubair Habib, in collaboration with ANF, was requested to get a survey carried out about the extent of drug abuse among the students of Karachi. This would be an important project for which UNODC’s support would be enlisted.

Another important point discussed at the meeting was NIOC’s initiative to establish Network of committed individuals working against organized crime all over the country. On the lines of GI-TOC, whose network number has increased to 427 world-wide, NIOC would aim to have 50 committed individuals as part of the professional and community stalwarts who can make a difference against organized crime in Pakistan. Convener Police Reforms Group and President AB of NIOC Mr Tariq Parvez has already helped enlist six former IGs as pioneers of the Network. Their profiles with photos would soon be placed at NIOC website. Similarly, more names would be suggested in the next AB Meeting in February, 2020.

For better visibility on Social Media space, Secretary NIOC Mr. Amir Rana was requested to launch NIOC on PIPS Facebook as well as Twitter handle.

A media/press release would be drafted by Secretary Mr. Amir Rana for recap of NIOC activities from November 01, 2019 to January 31, 2020. The press release would be ready to be shared with the Director as soon as possible.

Director NIOC requested Mr Zahid Hussain, Mr. Amir Rana and Mr Tariq Parvez to write an op-ed for Dawn on NIOC initiatives and the categories of organized crimes like terror financing, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrimes. It was also decided that an effort will be made to hire the services of another researcher for data collection.

Amir Rana and Kashif Noon would soon meet with DG NPB for collection of data from both federal and provincial stakeholders in the four categories of organized crimes.

Consultation Session with Stakeholders

NIOC Director welcomed senior officers who attended the Consultation Session after the AB Meeting. DG CTF Mr. Muhammad Iqbal and Mr Israr Abbasi from NACTA; ADGs Ahmed Mukarram and Mr. Ehsan Sadiq from FIA; and DDG ANF Mr. Ghulam Qadir Thebo made a significant contribution to the discussions during the consultation session.

Decisions

The following decisions were taken after NIOC presentations on Terror Financing (TF) and Drug Trafficking by Consultant Mr. Kashif Noon:

NACTA will arrange a special briefing/presentation for NIOC on TF. Modalities will be worked out soon between NC NACTA and Director NIOC.
DDG ANF undertook a feedback by MNC and ANF on NIOC Drug Trafficking Paper.
TF Presentation will be fine-tuned and shared with NACTA soon.
Kashif Noon and Mr. Ali Nekokara will get in touch with FIA focal persons on Human Trafficking and Cyber Crimes to start work on analysis papers in the two categories of organized crimes.

Attendance

Tariq Parvez (President AB)
Mr Fiaz Khan Toru (Member AB)
Mr Zahid Hussain (Member AB)
Mr Zubiar Habib (Member AB)
Mr Tariq Khosa (Director NIOC)
Muhammad Amir Rana (Secretary NIOC)
Ali Asghar (Deputy Secretary, MNC)
Qadir Thebo (DDG, ANF)
Ehsan Sadiq (Additional DG, FIA)
Ahmed Mukarram (Additional DG, FIA)
Muhammad Iqbal (DG, NACTA)
Syed Asad Raza (SSP Kashmore, Sindh Police)
Israr Ahmed Abbasi (Director, NACTA)
Kashif Noon (Consultant, NIOC)
Hassan Sardar (Admin and Finance Manager, NIOC)