Pakistan, July 23 -- Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday formally launched Pakistan's first provincial Counter Narcotics Force (CNF) in Punjab, marking a historic step in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.

The initiative positions Punjab as the first province in the country to establish a specialized anti-narcotics force under the framework of the 5th Constitutional Amendment.

In a landmark move, the Punjab government has taken the lead in institutional reforms and administrative restructuring to combat the growing menace of drugs. Under the 18th Constitutional Amendment (2010), provinces were empowered to form specialized enforcement agencies, and Punjab has now operationalized this mandate with the formatio...