- Popi was cultivated on 25 acres in Paswari and Kochamina.
- 40 terrorists including terrorists involved in pope farming.
- Online opium sales funds pose a threat to terrorism, national security.
The operation of an important poppy farming has been highlighted in the Dera Ismail Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the neighboring border areas of Balochistan, Reports Informed on Monday.
This discovery has created great concern about the relationship between drug trafficking and terrorism in the country.
Reliable sources showed that poppy cultivation is being done especially in Paswari and Cochmina areas. Poppy cultivation of about 25 acres – spread to 4 to 5 patch – an estimated 500 kg of opium yield, which is worth about 1.6 billion.
However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claims that no such reports have been revealed, and even the force of anti-nine (ANF) has not reported any poppy cultivation in the area of KP.
A KP government official said, “We have not received any information from any agency on the issue, but the department has been instructed to investigate the matter. It can be done in Balochistan region.”
Reliable sources indicate that at least 40 terrorists, including wanted terrorists Tariq Kalchi and Habib ur Rehman, have established the hideout in the region, in which more terrorists are about to reach. Local sources also revealed that Afghan laborers are engaged in the cultivation of Popi, allegedly working under the financial protection of the terrorist group known as “Faizullah Ikhwani Group”.
Sources claim that a particularly dangerous development is online sales of poppy cut from these areas. Reports show that these funds finance terrorist activities in Pakistan, which is a significant threat to national security.
The United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) confirmed a sharp decline in Afghanistan’s opium production by 2023. However, recent trends have indicated revival in drug cultivation, which motivates trafficers and terrorist groups to look for alternative sources, emerging as a new hub with the border areas of Pakistan.
Security sources told the reporter that immediate government intervention is mandatory to curb this increasing crisis.
A comprehensive counter-digestible strategy is required to destroy these illegal tasks and cut financial resources for terrorist networks. In collaboration with ANF, civil administration and law enforcement agencies, coordinated operations should be conducted to clean the affected areas and eliminate illegal networks.
“A decisive rift on this drug-attentive Nexus is necessary not only for the internal security of Pakistan but also for regional stability. Failure to work rapidly can allow these criminal networks to establish their legs and extend internal security threats for Pakistan,” the official said.
