Cannabis production in Afghanistan could intensify terror activities: Report

NEW DELHI: Increased cannabis production in Afghanistan and its cross-border smuggling abetted by the Taliban-ISI nexus could intensify terror activities and create further instability in the Af-Pak region, an Indian intelligence report has warned.

Increased cross-border terror activity in J&K supported by the Pakistan Army is not the only worry for India. A detailed report prepared by an Indian intelligence agency has cautioned that cannabis production is emerging as a major threat to security in Afghanistan and the region and would be difficult to handle in the coming years after the US withdrawal next year. The report alleges that ISI-supported Taliban is involved in smuggling cannabis in raw form and after processing it into hashish into Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan.

Last year, Afghanistan produced 1,400 tonnes of commercial cannabis, worth around $65 million. It may be recalled that opium trade had contributed significantly to the mujahideen campaign against the Soviets during the 1980s. In the subsequent years, it has funded Taliban activities. According to some estimates, drug trafficking is the third biggest global commodity in cash terms after oil and arms trade. This provided oxygen for terror activities in the Af-Pak region that had direct impact on India’s security, an official source pointed out.

Russia has been worried over the smuggling from Afghanistan. Delhi and Moscow hold regular consultations over drug trade-fuelled terror activities in the Af-Pak region, says an official. The US too has voiced concern over the spurt in drug trade during the last few years.

While the Afghanistan government has taken tough measures to prevent poppy cultivation and provide alternate sources of earning to farmers. In fact poppy growing farmers have been unofficially advised to switch to growing cannabis by resorting to multi-crop techniques.