Tuesday September 2, 2014
Kabul (BNA) Despite allocation of millions of dollars financial resources on way of combating the menace of drug smuggling, poppy cultivation and drug trafficking still harming the honor and dignity of Afghanistan in international level and still there is no a comprehensive strategy to fight the horrible trend with full force. The question is that why we failed to overcome on the issue during the past thirteen years with all of our legal and judicial organs operational on the ground and the presence of rule of law. In 2013, Afghanistan once again received the title of world largest producer of opium. It seems that war on drug not battled in line with the demands of the government of Afghanistan and international community.
The surge groups gain $ 150 million financial amount from drug smuggling on the annual basis and we have to prevent them from benefiting from drug smuggling. The money achieved from drug smuggling is funding terrorism and it takes victims from the innocent civilians. The national strategy for combating drug has been on effect in the country and also the constitution of Afghanistan has prohibited cultivation and smuggling. But we have to stop the horrible phenomena which provide food to terrorism, because drug mafia poses serious harms to our stability and Afghanistan shouldn’t have been declared as world largest producer of opium. According to statistics, Afghanistan produces 90 percent of world’s drug.
Elimination of drugs requires review of anti-drug strategy and implementing effective programs to wipe out of poppy fields. Based on the statement of Minister of Counter Narcotics, we have prepared the strategy for prevention of poppy cultivation while we practically see that the cultivation still going on and we are implementing anti-drug strategy. So far the US and Britain have supported Afghanistan in combating drug smuggling and there are some other countries as well that could help Afghanistan to fight the issue and these countries are included of Japan, Canada, Germany and India. Implementation of anti-drug strategy needs better management and the government is responsible to undertake professional management system and effective policy and the elimination is applicable through joint cooperation between the people and government organs and international assistance. Alongside that, political determination and regional cooperation were also crucial to detect mafia groups and fight them on a broader basis through intelligence sharing and mutual cooperation. In the national level, efforts should be undertaken to seek cooperation of people in those areas where poppy is cultivated in large scale.
According the Mubarez Rashidi, the Minister of Counter Narcotics, “we need to undertake two jobs at a single time, we should develop agriculture sector to help farmers avoid relying on poppy cultivation, in the second step, we must prevent poppy cultivation through implementation of the law, thirdly, when aids are provided to farmers and cultivation stopped, in law perspectives, he is not allowed to grow poppy, if did so, poppy fields must be destroyed and the farmers must be dealt in accordance to the law, we must act upon justice, it means that in areas where the farmers are weak financially, they must be provided necessary aids so that they run their lives through fair agriculture.” In the first step, the government is responsible to fight drug sources. Because drug smuggling is one of the major illegal businesses, so we must act transparently and honestly in this respect and work hard on the implementation of law.
