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IEA rejects SIGAR’s claims that opium trade in Afghanistan is ongoing
Qane said that the opium problem in the country has been eradicated and that addicts have been rounded up and placed in rehabilitation facilities.
The Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Wednesday said the US Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan’s (SIGAR) report on continued opium trade in Afghanistan was “baseless”.
Abdul Matin Qane, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said in a statement that the opium problem in the country has been eradicated and that addicts have been rounded up and placed in rehabilitation facilities.
One of the IEA’s priorities since its takeover three years ago has been to eradicate the cultivation, production, sale and use of opium and other drugs in the country.
Qane said the IEA has carried out a serious fight against drugs.
According to him, following the decree by the IEA’s supreme leader to eradicate drugs in the country, the interior ministry made it one of its priorities.
He said no exception will be made against cultivation, trafficking, dealing, production, possession or use of narcotics in Afghanistan.
The ministry also added that the Islamic Emirate alone, and with limited resources, has been able to eradicate the problem of drugs in Afghanistan.
The ministry stressed that the IEA will not allow Afghanistan to become the center of drug trade and trafficking that it was in the past.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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