Taliban, Pakistani Army involved in narcotics trade: NATO Report
The NATO Defence Education Enhancement Program (DEEP) report recently revealed that the Pakistani Army and Taliban have been involved in the narcotics trade.
"Narco-Insecurity, Inc, the convergence of Pakistan and Afghanistan narco-trade was made possible with the help of Pakistan's military spy agency the ISI, which launched several covert operations with sympathetic jihadist groups, all of whom relied heavily on narcotics trafficking to fund their operations," reported South Asia Press.
Not only does it help enhance the narco trade situation globally, but the trade also acts as one of the main financial sources of the insurgency groups in Afghanistan, reports NDTV.
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With 2,400 kilometres between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the border serves as a transit corridor for drug traffickers. The nexus of the drug lords with the Taliban poses a principal impediment to security, state-building, and democratic governance in Afghanistan.
A number of recent arrests of Pakistani nationals in various countries connected to drug trafficking have validated Pakistan's role in drug proliferation.
According to South Asia Press, Pakistan has established smuggling networks over the last years into India - and especially within the Kashmir valley - so as to ensure a steady supply of narcotics and weapons.
Afghanistan accounted for around 85% of global opium production in the year 2020 and supplied approximately 80% of the world's opium consumers, reported the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
South Asia Press also added that the total value of opiates (opium, morphine, and heroin) was 9 per cent to 14% of Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020. Methamphetamine and cannabis are two other major drugs that have expanded production in Afghanistan in recent years.
