'Better Security' in Afghanistan has been a top priority of international community. But it would be like glossing over the fundamental facts pertaining to Afghanistan, if one articulates the US and its allies' efforts are triumphing here. The Afghan government and its international partners have, with no single doubt, failed to establish any optimistic vision of Afghanistan in the minds of people. Terrorism and extremism, now, entrap lives of Afghans and citizens of regional countries like never before. Nevertheless, security is not the only area of failure facing our government and its western backers.
Substantial challenges such economic and financial vulnerability, political uncertainty, social backwardness, human rights violation, stubborncorruption and above all, entrenched poppy cultivation still persist in the country. No long-lasting development in these areas is observable and conditions have rather aggravated. Countering narcotics - the focus of this article – is what the Afghan government and its international allies have been blowing trumpet of but it seems more like a story of failure.
Amid lowest security prevailing in Afghanistan, this country continues to produce more than 90 percent of world's opium.Afghan farmers still remain the feeders of millions of drug addicts around the world. Based on the recent figures from UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), 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. That increase is huge and discredits and questions a decade efforts Karzai administration and international partners to fight narcotics. It signals that if opium prices further go high internationally, the Afghan farmer would accelerate their poppy production more in order grab more money.
Countering terrorism is vital, no doubt, but that will not be possible if efforts are not in place to address its causes. Unfortunately, Afghan opium, which is the biggest cause of growing insurgency in the country, remains untreated benefiting the Taliban and other crime groups. "Opium is therefore a significant part of the Afghan economy and provides considerable funding to the insurgency and fuels corruption," said YuryFedotov, director of the Vienna-based agency. Southern and other insecure provinces of Afghanistan where Taliban have considerably greater influence and power are the biggest producers of opium.
This enables the Taliban to grasp more benefits from drug trafficking. The funds obtained from opium are believed to be utilized by Taliban for recruiting more people in their ranks, paying and training their fighters, purchasing weapons and other materials and equipment to continue their fight against Afghan and NATO forces. Keeping in view that the Afghan government will grow weaker in the years to come, the insurgents are expected to squeeze more benefits from drug trafficking. This will enable them bolster their activities against Afghan government.
YuryFedotov has called for a stronger commitment from Afghan and international partners "to turn this worrying trend around."But, like previous requests from people, governments of the world and human rights, UN and civil society organizations based on serious and result-giving counter narcotic efforts, this call will also fall on the deaf ears.
Over the last ten years, billions of dollars of international funds have been invested for counter narcotics purposes but the condition has gone deteriorating. At current juncture, the governments involved in Afghanistan seem uninterested, disappointed and economically in a dismal condition to continue funding the corrupt government of Afghanistan in fighting against narcotics. Corruption is, disappointingly, so deep in Afghanistan that it hindrances all sorts of developments in Afghanistan.
The biggest harm of so widely spread opium trade, misfortunately reaches the Afghans. Over 1.5 million of Afghans including women and teenagers are believed to be addicted to drugs. By paying a visit to Pol e Sokhta and other areas in Kabul, where thousands of drug addicts gather or live permanently, one can realize the level of disaster reaching the Afghan population.
The future Afghan generations are at stake of ruining their lives in drug addiction if the situation remains as is. After ten years, we should be hearing news presenting the opposite of the condition prevailing. That would be counted as a credit for our government and countries backing it. A better condition would be a sign of development in Afghanistan contributing to lowering the insecurity level.
In the view of withdrawal process of international troops, transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces and diminishing level of aids, opium production in Afghanistan can be expected to, extra-ordinarily, soar in the years to come. This would mean further weakening of Afghan government and strengthening of Taliban militants. As a result Afghanistan will have to reverse to its 90s.
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 its dreadful consequences. Drug addiction will kill more people around the world and the same will be done by Taliban and groups associated to them. Until and unless, the biggest fund source of Taliban – drug trafficking – is not brought under thumb, there can be no optimism regarding betterment of security.