KABUL (SW): Addressing Wolesi Jirga (lower house) on Saturday, Salamat Azimi, the Minister of Counter-Narcotics (MoCN) claimed poppy cultivation in the country was on the decline.
A number of parliamentarians however, argued that the ground situation was totally opposite to the Minister’s claims and particularly in southern Helmand province, a bumper poppy crop was witnessed this year.
The Minister for Counter Narcotics and Minister for Public Health were called by the house to explain the state of poppy cultivation and drug addiction in the country. Only the Minister of Counter-Narcotics appeared to answer the lawmaker’s questions.
Salamat Azimi said last year poppy was cultivated on 224, 000 hectors of land but this year saw 19 percent fall in it with the crop being cultivated on 183, 000 hectors of land. “The yield last year was 6400 metric tons and this year it has been 3300 metric tons”, she told the house.
The Minister went on to say 3760 hectors of poppy crop has been destroyed this year.
About the rehabilitation of the addicted people, the Minister said at least $ 10 million were needed annually to address the issue via the existing 107 rehab centers across the country. “But, we only have $ 3 million in our budget for it”, she said.
Recalling the incident of a number of Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) men getting killed in a NATO airstrike in Kandahar, Nasima Niazi, an MP charged that the higher-ups in the security establishment were patronizing the narcotics trade.
Also on Saturday, the Wolesi Jirga summoned Mohammad Gulab Mangal, Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs (MoBTA) over an alleged agreement with the Taliban about a district in northern Baghlan province. A number of local council members in Baghlan charged that a deal has been reached to hand over Dand-e-Ghori area of district the militants.
ENDS
