The Afghan government and its international partners have, undoubtedly, failed to counter the growing insurgency in the country. Nevertheless, there is another area in which they have badly failed to bring about any positive change and that is the 'Afghan drugs.' Amid lowest security prevailing in Afghanistan, this country continues to produce more than 90 percent of world's opium. Countering terrorism is vital but it is equally vital to address its causes. Unfortunately, Afghan opium which is the biggest cause of growing insurgency remains untreated benefiting the Taliban and other crime groups.
Over the last ten years, billions of dollars of international funds have been invested for counter narcotics purposes but the condition has kept on deteriorating. Afghan farmers still remain the feeder of millions of drug addicts around the world. No improvement in elimination of drug trafficking stands a great concern for the international community and the government of Afghanistan.
According to the recent figures from UN Office on Drugs and Crime, revenue from opium production in Afghanistan soared by 133 percent last year to about $1.4 billion, or about one-tenth of the country's GDP. "Opium is therefore a significant part of the Afghan economy and provides considerable funding to the insurgency and fuels corruption," said Yury Fedotov, director of the Vienna-based agency.
He has called for a stronger commitment from Afghan and international partners "to turn this worrying trend around." At this juncture, the world should have witnessed news presenting the opposite of the above condition and that would be counted as a credit for our government and countries backing it. Such condition would be a sign of development in Afghanistan contributing to lowering the insecurity level. But the current figures are embarrassing for those blowing the trumpet of fighting drugs in Afghanistan.
The biggest harm of so widely spread opium trade reaches to Afghans. Over 1.5 million of Afghans including women and teenagers are believed to be addicted to drugs. The drug trafficking, as said by UN agency, is a major source of income for insurgents to finance their activities which ultimately results in killings of more people in Afghanistan.
The withdrawal process of international troops from Afghanistan that began last year and is set to complete in 2014 will further trigger opium production. As it has been stressed in the past too, the world has to come with some solid and practical measures to fight the growing poppy cultivation or else, be ready for the consequences: death of more people due to drugs in their own countries and around the world and growth of terrorism.