• Latest
  • Trending
US sanctions will push Afghanistan to rely on drug trafficking

US sanctions will push Afghanistan to rely on drug trafficking

September 3, 2021
Manchester City's Etihad Stadium

English Premier League accuses Manchester City of breaking financial rules

February 6, 2023
Sri Lanka offers rescue services to Turkey

Sri Lanka offers rescue services to Turkey

February 6, 2023
7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

Second powerful earthquake hits Turkey and Syria; international aid efforts underway

February 6, 2023
Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

February 6, 2023
Exchange Rate

Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

February 6, 2023
The hardest choice Gen.Musharraf had to make

The hardest choice Gen.Musharraf had to make

February 6, 2023
ChatGPT. Image credits - Getty

7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to boost your productivity

February 6, 2023
Vaping

Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

February 6, 2023
7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

February 6, 2023
Electricity

Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: February 6th

February 6, 2023
Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

February 6, 2023
Pervez Musharraf, Ex-Pakistani Leader and Key U.S. Ally, Dies at 79

Pervez Musharraf, Ex-Pakistani Leader and Key U.S. Ally, Dies at 79

February 5, 2023
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Monday, February 6, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

    The hardest choice Gen.Musharraf had to make

    The hardest choice Gen.Musharraf had to make

    Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: February 6th

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Pervez Musharraf, Ex-Pakistani Leader and Key U.S. Ally, Dies at 79

    Pervez Musharraf, Ex-Pakistani Leader and Key U.S. Ally, Dies at 79

    Bangladesh Foreign Minister’s call to South Asia: “Set aside differences and cooperate”

    Bangladesh Foreign Minister’s call to South Asia: “Set aside differences and cooperate”

    Indian High Commission greets Sri Lankans on Independence Day in a unique way

    Indian High Commission greets Sri Lankans on Independence Day in a unique way

    Tea pluckers in Sri Lanka

    Can Sri Lanka trade its way back to prosperity?

    Paris Club

    Paris Club to give Sri Lanka financial assurances amid IMF debt talks – report

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    Sri Lanka offers rescue services to Turkey

    Sri Lanka offers rescue services to Turkey

    7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

    Second powerful earthquake hits Turkey and Syria; international aid efforts underway

    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    ChatGPT. Image credits - Getty

    7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to boost your productivity

    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

    7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

    U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland

    China has not done enough on Sri Lanka debt restructuring – U.S. diplomat

    UK hit by biggest strike action in more than a decade

    United Kingdom hit by biggest strike action in more than a decade

    Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka makes top 10 in ‘Most Instagrammable Places in the World 2023’

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    "Avatar: The Way of Water" has soared into the $2 billion club of top grossing movies worldwide.

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $2 billion mark in worldwide box office

    Pathaan

    Posters of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan torn down and burnt outside cinemas in India

    Oscars 2023

    Oscars 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ leads nominations

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France on April 9, 2017.. Image credits - Jack Taylor/Getty Images/File

    Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ creates world record, becomes fastest selling non-fiction book

    Cocaine Bear (Credit: Universal Pictures)

    20 of the best films to watch in 2023

    Avatar

    Avatar: The Way Of Water passes USD 1B at the global box office

    (Image credit: Alamy)

    The 20 best films of 2022

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Child. Image credits - Filip Mroz @mroz / Unsplash

    Your child’s academic success may start with their screen time as infants

    Chief pilot Ian Porter with wife Michelle, daughters Samantha and Sydney, who act as his co-pilots, and son Christopher.. Image credits - Samantha Porter

    The family of five flying around the world in a tiny plane

    Paris. Image credits - Alexander Kagan allewollenalex / Unsplash

    World’s ‘most powerful’ tourism city revealed

    Image credits - NASA nasa / Unsplash

    Earth’s inner core may have started spinning other way

    Global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has released its quarterly report on the world's most desirable passports. Click on to find out which passport offers the most access in 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    The world’s most powerful passport for 2023 revealed

    Image credits - Tetiana Bykovets tetiana_bykovets / Unsplash

    New research reveals reason why chocolate tastes so good

    NASA’s Webb telescope

    Extraterrestrial wonders: Webb Telescope detects its 1st exoplanet

    Asafoetida plant. Photo via Adobe Stock.

    The most controversial ingredient in Indian food

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    ChatGPT. Image credits - Getty

    7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to boost your productivity

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp working on Calling shortcut feature for Android

    Child. Image credits - Filip Mroz @mroz / Unsplash

    Your child’s academic success may start with their screen time as infants

    Donald Trump

    Meta says it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

    WhatsApp

    5 great new features coming to WhatsApp in 2023

    Binance

    Binance is now authorised in seven EU Member States and fifteen jurisdictions worldwide

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

    The hardest choice Gen.Musharraf had to make

    The hardest choice Gen.Musharraf had to make

    Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: February 6th

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Pervez Musharraf, Ex-Pakistani Leader and Key U.S. Ally, Dies at 79

    Pervez Musharraf, Ex-Pakistani Leader and Key U.S. Ally, Dies at 79

    Bangladesh Foreign Minister’s call to South Asia: “Set aside differences and cooperate”

    Bangladesh Foreign Minister’s call to South Asia: “Set aside differences and cooperate”

    Indian High Commission greets Sri Lankans on Independence Day in a unique way

    Indian High Commission greets Sri Lankans on Independence Day in a unique way

    Tea pluckers in Sri Lanka

    Can Sri Lanka trade its way back to prosperity?

    Paris Club

    Paris Club to give Sri Lanka financial assurances amid IMF debt talks – report

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    Sri Lanka offers rescue services to Turkey

    Sri Lanka offers rescue services to Turkey

    7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

    Second powerful earthquake hits Turkey and Syria; international aid efforts underway

    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    ChatGPT. Image credits - Getty

    7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to boost your productivity

    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

    7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Turkey

    U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland

    China has not done enough on Sri Lanka debt restructuring – U.S. diplomat

    UK hit by biggest strike action in more than a decade

    United Kingdom hit by biggest strike action in more than a decade

    Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka makes top 10 in ‘Most Instagrammable Places in the World 2023’

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

    "Avatar: The Way of Water" has soared into the $2 billion club of top grossing movies worldwide.

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $2 billion mark in worldwide box office

    Pathaan

    Posters of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan torn down and burnt outside cinemas in India

    Oscars 2023

    Oscars 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ leads nominations

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France on April 9, 2017.. Image credits - Jack Taylor/Getty Images/File

    Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ creates world record, becomes fastest selling non-fiction book

    Cocaine Bear (Credit: Universal Pictures)

    20 of the best films to watch in 2023

    Avatar

    Avatar: The Way Of Water passes USD 1B at the global box office

    (Image credit: Alamy)

    The 20 best films of 2022

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Clashes in the educational field over Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Child. Image credits - Filip Mroz @mroz / Unsplash

    Your child’s academic success may start with their screen time as infants

    Chief pilot Ian Porter with wife Michelle, daughters Samantha and Sydney, who act as his co-pilots, and son Christopher.. Image credits - Samantha Porter

    The family of five flying around the world in a tiny plane

    Paris. Image credits - Alexander Kagan allewollenalex / Unsplash

    World’s ‘most powerful’ tourism city revealed

    Image credits - NASA nasa / Unsplash

    Earth’s inner core may have started spinning other way

    Global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has released its quarterly report on the world's most desirable passports. Click on to find out which passport offers the most access in 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    The world’s most powerful passport for 2023 revealed

    Image credits - Tetiana Bykovets tetiana_bykovets / Unsplash

    New research reveals reason why chocolate tastes so good

    NASA’s Webb telescope

    Extraterrestrial wonders: Webb Telescope detects its 1st exoplanet

    Asafoetida plant. Photo via Adobe Stock.

    The most controversial ingredient in Indian food

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    ChatGPT. Image credits - Getty

    7 ways to use ChatGPT at work to boost your productivity

    Whatsapp. Image credits - AARN GIRI / Unsplash

    WhatsApp working on Calling shortcut feature for Android

    Child. Image credits - Filip Mroz @mroz / Unsplash

    Your child’s academic success may start with their screen time as infants

    Donald Trump

    Meta says it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

    WhatsApp

    5 great new features coming to WhatsApp in 2023

    Binance

    Binance is now authorised in seven EU Member States and fifteen jurisdictions worldwide

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Around South Asia Afghanistan

US sanctions will push Afghanistan to rely on drug trafficking

Editor by Editor
September 3, 2021
in Afghanistan, Economy, Recommend, United States
Reading Time: 5 mins read
11 0
A A
US sanctions will push Afghanistan to rely on drug trafficking

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan

Share on WhatsApp

By Najib Shah

Bengaluru, September 3 (newsin.asia): William Dalrymple in his book, ‘The Return of the King’ mentions a prescient comment of Rev. G. R. Gleig in his memoir, written shortly after his return from the First Anglo-Afghan war. The army chaplain wrote: “a war begun for no wise purpose, carried on with a strange mixture of rashness and timidity, brought to a close after suffering and disaster, without much glory attached either to the government which directed or the great body of troops which waged it. Not one benefit, political or military has been acquired with this war.  Our eventual evacuation of the country resembled the retreat of an army defeated.”

Subscribe to our Whatsapp channel for the latest updates from around the world

ADVERTISEMENT

This was written in 1843. Nothing has changed. The US army retreat from Afghanistan in 2021 leaving the country in the hands of the battle-hardened Taliban, eerily resembles the earlier retreat of the British and the Soviets who left after 20 years of trying to subjugate the locals.

Afghanistan today is a country ravaged by war and disturbances, by corruption and inefficacy, by apathy and poverty. With a population just under 34 million, 54% of whom live under the national poverty line, ranked among the countries with the lowest gross domestic product by capita at US$ 580.82. It desperately need economic aid.

But the world is choking Afghanistan by denying what is it’s due. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) established in 1944 is meant to help countries tide over economic crises by offering loans and technical assistance. The IMF is funded by a quota system where each country contributes depending on the size of its economy. In 1969, the IMF had created Special Drawing Rights (SDR) a type of international reserve asset to supplement official reserves. The US with a 17.4% share and being the largest contributor, has the largest percentage of voting rights in the IMF. What this means is that they have a huge influence on the functioning of the IMF. This has manifested now with IMF coming under pressure from the Biden administration to block Afghanistan from accessing emergency reserves.

The justification for this is that the Taliban government in Afghanistan has not been recognized. The country was to receive about US $ 455 million in SDR’s as part of the recently approved proposal of IMF to release US $ 650 billion into the pandemic hit global economy. They will not get it as of now. Further, the US Treasury Department has frozen US $ 9.4 billion of reserves held by DAB, the Afghan central bank, in the New York Federal reserve and US based financial institutions. These will trigger a huge financial and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Return to Drugs

The financial crisis will mean that the Taliban will necessarily turn to drugs to fund their activities. It should not be forgotten that Afghanistan produces nearly 90% of the world’s illicit opium from where heroin is distilled. The poppy plant requires little water, can survive in drought conditions making Afghanistan ideal for its cultivation.

Thus, as per UNODC, a humongous 224,000 ha of land is estimated to be under opium cultivation in Afghanistan.  In the absence of any alternate crops and given the money which it generates, poppy cultivation has become both a choice and necessity for the average Afghan farmer.

The UNODC estimates that it is extensively cultivated in 22 out of the 34 provinces of the country. In 2020 the UN had estimated that nearly 6300 tons of opium were cultivated- with a farm gate value of US$ 350 million which, when it reaches Western markets, is worth many folds more. It is estimated that opium trade is worth between 6-11% of Afghanistan’s GDP.

The poppy moves from the farmer to the trader to the drug trafficker who runs the heroin processing labs which dot both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border. It gets added value at every stage. Most of the processed heroin moves through the Balkan route – Iran, Turkey, Eastern Europe to feed drug lovers in the West, in the US, Russia, Italy and UK. The value of drug trafficked through this route is estimated to be around US$ 28 billion. The UNODC World Drug Report further estimates that the number of opioid users has doubled since 2010. It is estimated that today there are more than 31 million users of opium or heroin providing a huge market for the drug

While the Taliban did curb opium cultivation in their previous stint in power in the 1990’s since ‘addiction is not permitted in Islam ‘, it is unlikely to do so now. The Taliban spokesman recently mad a very brave statement that ‘Afghanistan will not be a country for cultivation of opium anymore’. But the financial stress and chaos the country is facing will force Taliban to resort to even more unchecked cultivation of opium. And the country itself will become a fertile ground for the disgruntled, drug addicted youth, to fall easy prey to the influence of the Taliban.

Western countries, which have not been able to curb the demand for drugs, will get large supplies of illicitly cultivated opium and heroin. Drug trafficking apart from hurting societies, triggers a whole host of other criminal activities and worse, financial terrorism.

Afghanistan has also discovered that the ephedra plant which is a major source for methamphetamine, grows there, providing yet another means to make illicit money.

The US President, in his address to the nation after the withdrawal of his troops from Afghanistan did mention that the US must learn from its mistakes by setting clear goals when it goes to war. This is welcome. But the abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent choking of funds meant for it, will hurt Afghanistan. In turn, the Taliban will hurt the ordinary citizens of that beautiful country even more. The long-suffering Afghans deserve better. Any solution to the country’s problems will need to ensure that politics does not override humanitarian concerns.

(Najib Shah is a retired Chairman of India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs)                                                                                           

For similar articles, join our Whatsapp group for the latest updates. – click here

Tags: AfghanistanDrug radePoppy cultivationTalibanUS sanctions

Related Posts

Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards
Around The World

Beyoncé Wins Her 32nd Grammy, Making History at the Awards

February 6, 2023
Tea pluckers in Sri Lanka
Around South Asia

Can Sri Lanka trade its way back to prosperity?

February 4, 2023
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland
Around South Asia

China has not done enough on Sri Lanka debt restructuring – U.S. diplomat

February 2, 2023
Brazen hypocrisy of the Lankan professional elite and the lost promise of a welfare state
Economy

Brazen hypocrisy of the Lankan professional elite and the lost promise of a welfare state

January 31, 2023
Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy
Defense

Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

January 30, 2023
The world is tired Of United States’ wars
Around The World

The world is tired Of United States’ wars

January 30, 2023
  • Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: February 6th

    59151 shares
    Share 23683 Tweet 14779
  • Registration open for National Fuel Pass

    6627 shares
    Share 2688 Tweet 1641
  • Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

    1686 shares
    Share 681 Tweet 419
  • WATCH : Yohani’s first live performance in India

    789 shares
    Share 328 Tweet 192
  • Power interruption schedule released: Check your area power cut time

    742 shares
    Share 320 Tweet 176
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
  • Videos

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

eskisehir escort -

https://www.vudols.com/

- Sağlık Personeli - mersin escort - Antalya korsan taksi