Drugs In Pakistan

The Drug Problem

There is a lot of talk about drugs in Pakistan and that there is an increased amount of consumption among youth.  We heard a lot of stories about the drug lords of Mexico and India, but Pakistan stands next to the largest opium producer in the world, so is there a bigger nexus and cartel that runs all the multibillion-dollar drug business through Pakistan?
The attachment of drugs is as old as us, and there is a poem of Homer in which he talks about Helen of Troy, in that he writes that Helen was given a potion by an Egyptian queen that, when their soldiers were injured, they used to bring them relief, then it used to give them relief, and it is believed Homer was referring to opium because opium has such effect, and its use can be traced back from centuries. Opium is also grown to be used in medicines. The medicinal use of drugs is always there, which is why they are essential.

Pakistan was considered an opium-free country up until 2001–2002, according to the UNODC claim; opium production ended in Pakistan by then. The real madness started when heroin was produced from opium, and its effects had consequences far beyond the borders. Now the situation in Pakistan is such that it is among the three principal regions of illicit opium production and a major part of Golden Crescent, the name given to this block. This all started with the production of heroin from opium. Now everything has become so fluid, and the channels of communication and technology have developed so much that you don’t have to sit in the factory to control it Further technology has also accelerated the rate of production of drugs. Drug lords have adopted modern ways of production like any other industry. The major problem in this context for Pakistan is Afghanistan.

Afghanistan and Drug Production

Cultivation of drugs generally happens more in ungoverned areas where there is no governance where the rule of law cannot be applied, and it is both ways; it is a very fertile ground for drug addiction where there is vulnerability, and it is also favorable for cultivation and production because there is no government so for the last 50 years the whole of Afghanistan has been completely ungoverned except those who say that there was Taliban’s first government took a stand against it, but then there are reports that whatever was done there was to raise the prices the way people are saying now that it will be banned from next year right, so some people are translating it that they are doing this because all the opium that was available has already been sold. In the last three to four years, in Thailand and Vietnam, cultivation has reduced a lot there, so the prices in Afghanistan and Pakistan have increased a lot. Secondly, because of the Ukraine and Russia war, the route that used to go to Europe through Central Asia has also come in problem, so the prices have almost increased many times because there is demand in Europe and America, The supply routes have also reduced, and the supply has also reduced, so here people who translate it say that this has been done so that the price increases. 14 to 17 % of the Afghan budget comes from drugs. The major chunk is traded via Pakistan because of the Ukraine War; that route is disturbed, and the laws in Iran are very strict, which leaves Pakistan as the most favorable route for drug transit trade from Afghanistan.

Now, before heroin, opium was almost not such a dangerous drug. Opium was used for sore throats and nasal congestion, and it is used for them, but the other thing is that it can also be used for drugs. This has given a complete twist to the whole problem because while some of the drugs would take time to have that impact, the synthetic drugs have an impact abroad and are short-lived, so you are asking for more and more and more and more, which becomes the biggest problem leading to severe addiction.

The Real Nexus

Now, the real question is, Who is the biggest drug lord or cartel that controls this trafficking at such a vast level? The whole point of explaining the Afghanistan-Pakistan relation in drug trade was to establish that Afghanistan is the biggest producer, but the cartel that handles its distribution lies in Pakistan because from here it is distributed all over the world, and as a mediator, this cartel in Pakistan can control supply, thus the price of opium and heroin in the region. The system in place does not recognize any single drug lord, but the nexus involves many influential people all over Pakistan. To simplify, I can identify the indicators of people related to this cartel without accusing anyone because these are very powerful people spread all over Pakistan.

The Drug Cartel Of Pakistan

Firstly, the people inside the system; these are people in customs, border security, and the police and agencies that provide cover because without their involvement it is impossible to move drugs around. Secondly, the tribal lords, or feudal, of Punjab in the border areas specifically. Not only along the Afghan border but Punjab border, areas near Lahore, Batapur, Gandasingh border, areas along the Kasur border. 80% of heroin going into India is from Pakistan, and from these areas, the high profile feudals of these areas, among the other border areas, are local drug lords part of the bigger nexus. They could be identified by the indicators I have mentioned, and you will find them to be really wealthy. So it is not difficult to really identify them. Yes, these people are also involved in the production, but the real nexus that operates throughout Pakistan is of distribution, controlling the production from Afghanistan and routes via the agencies while involving Feudals and political figures of important areas to navigate the drugs throughout Pakistan and send them to other parts of the world. That is the level of drug business in Pakistan. If you believe there is a single figure like Escobar or El Chapo, you are mistaken. The system here itself is so vast and deep that it has created a chain of drug lords throughout Pakistan that are facilitators of the Nexus controlling the opium trade from Afghanistan. The fact is disturbing, but it is as it is that no single person is a sole big drug lord but just a facilitator of widespread system, and he could be replaced, taken down, and caught as well, but it would never solve the drug problem because no such person is that big, and at every level the facilitators could be replaced until there are revolutionary steps taken from authorities to first cleanse themselves and then the whole system, which seems to be a myth at the moment.

The Legend Of Ayub Afridi

Ayub Afridi is considered the biggest drug lord of the Golden Crescent. He belonged to Landi Kotal, a tribal area between Pakistan and Afghanistan with strong links on both sides. He made the heroin trade so big that there are myths regarding Pablo Escobar contacting him regarding logistics assistance. However, these stories are fake because heroin was not such a popular drug then, and in that era, Ayub Afridi worked with the CIA to smuggle weapons to Afghan Mujahideen and later used his influence and routes to smuggle Afghan opium to FATA in Pakistan, which was a lawless area than and remains a troubled area till now, which helped his business prosper. Later he went into politics and was elected as a member of the national assembly in 1990 and used to contest elections from Khyber agency. So he was involved with the CIA and definitely with the top establishment of Pakistan, plus he was a political leader that summarized the whole drug cartel in Pakistan. He could be considered the father of opium trade in Golden Crescent region, but the roots of his system have so much penetrated in the society that even after his death there was no impact on the drug business in the region.