Major General Nadim Ahmed, chief of Pakistan's anti-narcotics force, said his country had cooperated intensively with Russia in recent years. Ahmed welcomed the recent visits to Pakistan by Russian field investigators and senior security officials.
The general suggested that Pakistani officers undergo training in Russia, and that Russian officers train in Pakistan. He said this would improve bilateral operational cooperation.
The major general said that Afghanistan's neighbors must pursue a coordinated policy to curb Afghan drug exports. He said Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Russia should work together to tackle the problem. Although Russia was withdrawing its border guards from the region, it continued to deter drug trafficking into Eastern Europe.
Ahmed said the Afghan border had to be closed to prevent drugs from getting through. He said that the anti-narcotics forces in the neighboring countries needed to have the resources to meet this objective.
Ahmed said fighting drug production in Afghanistan was a long and difficult process and that quick results should not be expected. Ahmed said he had continually told his colleagues from different countries that the problem could not be resolved in the next three or four years. "If we manage to cut opium production considerably in the next seven or eight years it would be a great success", he said.
Ahmed said that in 2003-2004 Afghanistan produced 4,200 tons of opium. Afghanistan currently produces 87% of the world's illegal opiate drugs, ranging from opium to heroin.
Commenting on reports that opium poppy production had declined in Afghanistan, Ahmed warned against drawing hasty conclusions. He said the decline in poppy production could be due to market conditions, rather than increased control in Afghanistan. When Afghanistan had increased poppy production in the past, drug prices and the earnings of opium producers had fallen. Poppy producers had to reduce production to prevent prices from dropping further.
He said opium prices were reported to be rising again. The general confirmed American newspaper reports that some members of the new Afghan government had ties to drug barons.
He said that some of the provincial governors were offering protection to drug producers, while others were directly involved in drug production.
An Afghan governor's army crossed the border and infiltrated Pakistan several months ago, Ahmed said. The Afghans attacked a Pakistani anti-narcotics unit that was conducting an operation there. One man was killed and four were seriously wounded in the skirmish.
When asked why drug production went up in Afghanistan when international antiterrorism forces entered the country, General Ahmed said the forces had focused on fighting terrorism and ensuring political stability. He added that broad popular support was required to address several objectives at the same time.
"Too many Afghan farmers earn their living from growing poppies. Therefore, the government needs to pursue a balanced economic policy to successfully fight drug trafficking," the general said.
