EDITORIAL: Large scale poppy cultivation, according to a press report, is underway in the DI Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as well as adjacent border areas of Baluchistan, which is very concerning considering that there is a nexus between drug production and terrorism financing.
No surprise therefore if some militant groups have established a presence in these areas. In fact, DI Khan is one of the worst terrorism-affected districts of KP.
The report mentions at least two areas, Pastwari and Kochmina, where opium poppy is grown, allegedly by Afghan labourers under the patronage of a terrorist faction, ‘Faizullah Ikhwani Group’ over approximately 25 areas – in four to five patches – which has yielded an estimated 500 kg of opium valued at around Rs. 1.6 billion!
The terrorists’ ability to earn such huge amounts of money and buy modern weapons on the black market as well as to recruit and sustain fresh fighters is a worrisome trend that must not be allowed to persist. It is unclear, however, if all the aforementioned details are valid.
The KP government reportedly has claimed it has no information about poppy cultivation and that even the Anti-Narcotics Force has not reported such activity in that province, suggesting that it might be happening in some (ungoverned) areas of Baluchistan.
Yet the present report points to a particularly alarming development, i.e., online sale of drugs derived from opium poppy. It should not be difficult for the relevant authorities to investigate if indeed such sales do take place and block them so as to mitigate the security threat that opium production and trade pose to this country.
Unless stopped in its tracks, poppy cultivation will further increase for its potential to fetch huge amounts of profits terrorists want for their nefarious purposes.
The Anti-Narcotics Force together with civil administration and law enforcement agencies needs to take effective action for eradicating poppy cultivation and also launch a crackdown on drug manufacturing and trafficking mafias.
In this context, they can learn a thing or two from the experience of Afghan Taliban. Although they had used poppy production to fund their war against the NATO forces, since return to power in Kabul they have stopped farmers from growing opium poppy through a successful targeted eradication campaign.
Needless to say, failure to take timely action will allow terrorists to attain consolidation and drug mafias to gain strength by creating vested interests within local communities.
It is imperative that relevant authorities in both KP and Balochistan investigate the reports of poppy cultivation and the related criminal enterprise, and take remedial measures before it is too late.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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