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Pakistan surpasses Afghanistan as leading opium producer, triggering security concerns
The report highlights that large-scale, open poppy cultivation is now more widespread in Pakistan than in Afghanistan, raising alarm among regional and international observers.
Pakistan has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s largest source of opium, a development that experts warn could inject millions of dollars into terrorist networks and reshape the region’s security landscape, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The report highlights that large-scale, open poppy cultivation is now more widespread in Pakistan than in Afghanistan, raising alarm among regional and international observers.
David Mansfield, a leading authority on drug trafficking, underscored the trend: “Many of the poppy fields in Pakistan are larger than five hectares and located near populated areas. By 2025, Afghanistan’s opium output is likely to be significantly lower than Pakistan’s, and the profits from Pakistan’s poppy trade are likely to fall into the hands of terrorist groups — posing a serious threat to regional stability.”
For decades, Afghanistan held the title of the world’s top opium producer. That dominance ended after the Islamic Emirate returned to power in 2021 and imposed a sweeping ban on the cultivation, production, and trafficking of narcotics.
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate declared the prohibition nationwide, leading to what observers have described as an unprecedented collapse in Afghanistan’s drug production.
Afghan officials insist that no individual or group is permitted to grow, produce, or traffic narcotics, and international monitors have backed this claim.
In 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a 95 percent drop in opium cultivation in Afghanistan — one of the most dramatic reductions in modern history.
With the shift of the opium trade across the border, security analysts now warn that Pakistan’s expanding drug economy could bolster extremist elements and destabilize not only the country itself but the wider region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that security risks in Central Asia and developments in Afghanistan are among the primary concerns for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The CSTO is a regional military alliance that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Speaking in Moscow during a meeting with CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov, Lavrov described the region’s security challenges as “central” to the organization’s agenda.
“The problems that are currently among the central ones for the CSTO are new challenges and threats. I am referring to the situation in the Central Asian region of collective security, as well as everything related to what is happening in Afghanistan,” he said.
He praised Masadykov as “one of the leading experts” on Central Asian security, noting that his experience could enhance coordination and increase the effectiveness of allied actions.
Similar to NATO, the CSTO considers an attack on one member state as an attack on all.
Countries in the region have always expressed concern about security threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed these concerns and assured that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against another country.
The Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan has announced that the leader of the Islamic Emirate has approved the establishment of a faculty dedicated to “Prophetic Medicine.”
According to the ministry, this new faculty will play a vital role in advancing medical sciences and training skilled healthcare professionals across the country.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Noorullah Noori, has announced that the long-delayed demarcation and renovation of border markers along the Afghanistan–Iran frontier will officially begin in the near future.
According to a statement from the ministry, Noori made the remarks during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Ali-Reza Bikdeli.
He assured the Iranian side that the Islamic Emirate is fully committed to accelerating the process and resolving any challenges that may arise during implementation.
In a separate statement, the Iranian Embassy in Kabul said Bikdeli underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation on border issues, describing it as a key factor in strengthening and expanding overall relations between the two countries.
Officials from both sides agreed nearly three months ago to resume the border-marker renovation project, which had remained stalled for the past seven years.
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