ISLAMABAD, Dec 23 : Number of injected drug users and HIV positives in major cities of Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Sargodha, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan and Larkana is increasing alarmingly.

Programme Coordinator of United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Dr. Nadeem-ur-Rehamn and senior official of UN Aids Programme in Pakistan, Ms Huma Khawer told reporters that the HIV prevalence in Pakistan is 3073 and this number may be higher because the HIV positive men and women are hesitant to get them registered.

There are 500,000 chronic heroin addicts in Pakistan. 60,000 of these inject heroine and psychotropic medicine. They share needles, sell blood and have un-protected sex. Only in Karachi the total number of injected drug users is more than 15,000. HIV can be epidemic because of injected drug users. In Larkana the HIV positives has been increased from 5% to 25%.