The
Afghan Drug Trade
T
Raghavan
and M T Singha
1.
A map of drug routes emanating from Afghanistan through Pakistan
and into India.
(Source
: Jane's Intelligence Report, through www.pa-chouvy.org
).
This
map describes opium trade routes emanating from Eastern
Afghanistan into Pakistan through the North West Frontier
Province and Pakistan’s Punjab into India. The triangles
symbolize Heroin laboratories. This map shows that the
laboratories are clustered along the Afghan border, and many are
within Pakistan. Interestingly, many of the routes used for
smuggling drugs also double as routes for smuggling arms to
supply terrorist activity in neighboring countries.
2.
An Afghan farmer standing in a poppy field.
(Source: Ric Ergenbright / CORBIS)
Poppy
cultivation is considerably more lucrative for Afghan farmers
than more traditional cereal crops. In recent times, cultivation
of poppy was also encouraged by the Pakistani backed Taliban
regime. Afghan cultivation of Opium boomed in the 1980's when
the Pakistani government set up drugs and arms smuggling
networks to finance and run the Afghan jihad. These types of
networks are used to smuggle arms, drugs and supply terrorist
organizations active in India.
3.
A montage showing opium in different stages, juxtaposed with
a mujahideen.
(Source
: U.S Department of Drug Enforcement, www.dea.gov
)
The
illegal narcotics trade in Afghanistan and Pakistan spawned and
facilitated the growth of a thriving arms trade in the region.
The nexus of arms and drug trafficking under the long time
patronage of the Pakistani government involves senior members of
the Pakistani army and business communities yielding a
significant income. Dawood Ibrahim, India's top mafia boss
involved in these activities, is believed to reside in Pakistan
after being given shelter by its government against Indian
attempts to capture him.
4.
Iranian officials inspecting a captured shipment of heroin.
(Source:
Reuters, via www.pbs.org)
Afghanistan
is well positioned to send drugs into Central Asia and Iran.
These networks could pose a serious threat to stability in the
region because they can be used to arm Islamic fundamentalist
organizations in Central Asia. Additionally, drug addiction is a
major problem in several parts of Iran. The Iranian government
has repeatedly tried to combat the spread of drugs from
Afghanistan into its borders.
5.
Arms being examined in the North West Frontier Province,
Pakistan.
(Source:
South Asia Tribune; http://www.satribune.com/archives/august04/P1_book.htm)
The
very lucrative Afghan Transit Trade between Afghanistan and
Pakistan serves as a smuggling route of other goods. One of the
most dangerous aspects of this trade is the arms trafficking.
This well established activity dates back to the initial set up
used to supply Afghan Mujahideen fighting the Soviet
occupation. An extensive industry involved in the production of
arms in the provinces of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.
6.
Woman Smoking Heroin, Pakistan.
(Source
: Getty Images)
Drug
addiction is a serious social problem in Pakistan with an
estimated 2% of its population directly using drugs and cuts
across ethnic and gender boundaries.
Due to the complicity of drug trade among the powerful
sections of Pakistani society, this problem is likely to worsen
considerably. In
Pakistan and neighboring countries the affliction of drugs and
illegal arms are linked, they are one, and cannot be tackled in
isolation.
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