Pakistani officials： The political situation in Afghanistan is turbulent or exacerbates the drug smuggling problem.

　　Pakistani officials recently said in an interview with the media that the escalating unrest in Afghanistan may intensify drug smuggling activities and will also aggravate the drug problem in Pakistan.

　　According to the Nikkei Asian Review reported on July 10th, akbar Durani, the federal secretary of Pakistani anti-drug department, expressed his concern in an interview with the magazine. Durani believes that Afghanistan is one of the main challenges facing Pakistan’s drug control. "If Afghanistan does not achieve political stability, it may aggravate the problems we have already encountered." Durani said, "Political stability is very much needed."

　　So far, the Doha peace talks brokered by the United States have made little progress. However, Durani stressed that the future is full of uncertainties, and a political solution may still bring the drug problem in Afghanistan under control.

　　The Nikkei Asia Review pointed out that Pakistan has long been a destination for drug production in Afghanistan, but the war has led to a sharp increase in drug production and smuggling. At present, the scale of drug economy in Afghanistan is much larger than that when the United States invaded 20 years ago. Even if the Taliban seize power and end the conflict, it may not be able to curb the drug trade, which has become an important part of the Afghan economy and provides income for many Afghans.

　　In addition, if it seizes power, the Taliban may be sanctioned and isolated by the international community, forcing it to rely on drug trafficking and other illegal activities to obtain income.

　　Durani said that it is not clear whether the Taliban can control drugs, but he pointed out that the organization did manage to "control" drugs when managing the government. In 2000, the Taliban banned poppy cultivation.

　　Afghanistan is currently the largest opium producer in the world. According to United Nations data, Afghanistan’s opium production accounts for 85% of the global production in 2020. Opium produced in Afghanistan is exported as raw materials or processed into heroin and morphine for smuggling. Pakistan seized 8 tons of heroin in 2019, second only to Turkey and Iran.

　　In its latest World Drug Report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned that poverty and unemployment related to the COVID-19 pandemic may "increase the attraction of illegal crop cultivation".