The mosaic of drug trafficking and its consequences

Pakistan is infected with a serious drug problem. The tendency of using opium, heroin, cannabis and methamphetamine is on the rise. The point of concern is that educational institutions are not immune to it. Private and elite class institutions reportedly contain most users due to better buying capacity, absence of effective control by institution(s) and, of course, parental negligence. Media reports are abuzz with stories on how students are falling prey to drugs, and according to ANF, 53% of students across various alma maters are exposed to drugs.

This menace entails a direct threat to national security, apart from health and safety of the populace. It is a foregone conclusion that Afghanistan is the epicentre of production, trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs. While Pakistan shares a 2,611 km border with the landlocked state, and also houses around 4 million refugees, movement of contraband thrives in shadows.

Poppy cultivation and synthetic drugs production in Afghanistan is largely confined to southeast provinces bordering Pakistan. Last but not least is the TTP and other unscrupulous terror elements who capitalise on production and promotion of drugs business to stay afloat. The strife-torn country supplies some 80% of global opiate demand, and a major part of its national income depends upon this illicit drug economy.

Though Taliban 2.0 have announced a ban on poppy cultivation, it has led to surge in demand and a kilogram of dried opium is being fetched for $408, which is nearly five times higher than average price of previous years. At the same time, it is noticed from World Drug Report 2023 and Afghanistan Opium Survey 2023 that seizure of opium in Pakistan has risen primarily because the militia has incentivised outflow of stocked opium by lifting tax/ushr for a grace period of 10 months.

The statistics are horrifying as around 6.7 million Pakistanis are addicted to 'controlled drugs' and misuse it for mental solace. Likewise, cannabis is the most used drug with four million users nationwide; and an estimated 860,000 and 320,000 are regular heroin and opium users, respectively. The nightmare is that the majority of drug users falls between 25-39 age bracket, and includes a large number of women who use sedatives as well as amphetamines.

As we go on to address this irritant at home and abroad, a holistic approach is desired. It is a good omen that Pakistan sticks to its principled decision of not cultivating poppy and cannabis, and pieces of legislation to oversee harvesting, processing and sale of medicinal hemp have fallen flat.

The opposition from the ANF and Narcotics Control Ministry is appreciated as they stood their ground against production and trade of hemp by two ministries. It is soothing to learn that poppy cultivation on 415 hectares in K-P, Sindh and Balochistan has been eliminated during Poppy Eradication Campaign 2024.

There is, however, an enigma at hand: Afghanistan is gradually shifting from plant-based drugs to a more subtle and profitable production of synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamine. The gradual rise in synthetic drug seizures in Pakistan confirms this finding and, it may have a nexus with the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement of 2010, which binds Pakistan to provide freedom of transit for Afghan trade.

There is a flip side of this narcotics business and it finds its roots in cyber domain and gun-running. Dark Web and social media networking sites (SMNs) are rapidly emerging as platforms for marketing and distribution of illicit drugs, arms and ammunition, and have sailed into the new attractive horizons of crypto currency. During the last five years, more than 350 foreign nationals were arrested by ANF and majority of them (190) were Afghans involved in drug-trafficking.

As terrorism and drugs both emanate from our western borders, and make use of Pakistan's territory, there is a need for rewriting a policy on its eradication. The unrest in Balochistan and K-P could get worse if this drug-incentive industry takes root. By intentionally penetrating the raw material among students, two birds are being killed with one stone: Pakistan's future and its strategic inviolability. Pakistan's zero-tolerance on drug-trafficking needs stimulation.