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Over 2,000 acres of poppy fields destroyed in ongoing campaign
The Ministry of Interior said on Sunday that so far 2,183 acres of poppy fields across nine provinces have been destroyed in the ongoing campaign to rid the country of poppies.
According to the ministry, 777 acres of land in Pashtun Kot, Bilchiragh, Almar, Kohistan and Khyber districts of Faryab province have been destroyed along with 520 acres of land in Badakhshan province, 400 acres of land in Paktika province, 292 acres of land in Nangarhar province, 127 acres of land in Takhar, 38 acres of land in Kunar province, 13 acres of land in Baghlan province, 11 acres of land in Balkh province and 5 acres of land in Pasaband district of Ghor province were cleared from poppy cultivation.
Poppy fields in Kabul province have also been destroyed.
Last week the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said that anti-narcotics police destroyed 800 acres of poppy fields in several operations across six provinces.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, said that there is a serious fight underway against the cultivation and trafficking of drugs in an attempt to eradicate all traces of narcotics in the country.
Mujahid emphasized that efforts are being made to prevent drug trafficking, and that since the IEA’s takeover in August 2021, a large number of drug traffickers have been arrested and imprisoned.
He also assured neighboring countries and the region that they need not be concerned about drug smuggling from Afghanistan but to cooperate with the government and people in the fight against drugs and help find alternative crops to poppies.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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