Islamabad: Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Friday that money earned from trafficking of drugs and arms is being used to finance terrorist activities in the country.
"I have strong indicators and data that terrorists have a role in drug trafficking and other illegal activities to generate quick money," Malik said at a ceremony where the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) released a report on Pakistan's "illegal economy".
Endorsing the findings of the report titled "Examining the dimensions, scale and dynamics of the illegal economy: A study of Pakistan in the region", Malik said global cooperation is a must to curb organised transnational crimes.
He asked the world community to play its role in curbing the production and trafficking of drugs, which are linked with terrorism.
"Illicit trafficking of drugs, humans, timber and arms on a global scale fuels conflicts and encourages violence.
"So the international community should take stringent measures to stop them," he said.
Malik spoke on different dimensions of organised crime, the regional and global dimensions of their networks and funding and the absence of international cooperation to counter these crimes.
He asked Western countries to help Pakistan improve its law enforcement agencies through sharing of expertise, equipments and training.
He suggested the formation of an international body for investigating and taking action against illicit money, which is one of the primary sources for funding terrorist organisations.
Evidences suggest that terrorist organisations use sophisticated methods to strengthen their networks and to swiftly mobilise resources across the globe that are generated through smuggling of drugs and illegal economy, he said.
Malik also highlighted the need for united action to address problems originating in Afghanistan.
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