Obama names India, Pakistan among drug majors
September 17th, 2010 - 9:51 pm ICT by IANS
By Arun Kumar
Washington, Sep 17 (IANS) US President Barack Obama has identified India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and 17 other countries as major drug transit or major illicit drug-producing nations.
The other countries on the Majors List are the Bahamas, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
Obama did not mention the reasons for keeping India on the list. He called Pakistan “a major transit country for opiates and hashish for markets around the world, especially for narcotics originating in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan also is a major transit country for precursor chemicals illegally smuggled to Afghanistan where they are used to process heroin.”
On the role played by terror-linked groups, Obama said: “Pakistan is still challenged by extremist groups who have power over parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, particularly where most of Pakistan’s poppy is grown.
“These extremist groups are also found in settled areas of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Province such as its capital, Peshawar, and the Swat Valley.”
But Obama gave a clean chit to Islamabad saying the government “is forced to divert law enforcement resources and equipment from poppy eradication efforts to address these incursions.
“The government of Pakistan remains concerned about opium poppy cultivation in Pakistan and is working to return to opium poppy-free status soon,” the president said.
“A joint US-Pakistan survey in 2009 estimated that 1,779 hectares of opium poppies were under cultivation in Pakistan, approximately 130 hectares less than was under cultivation during the previous year,” said Obama.
Obama said Afghanistan continued “to be the world’s largest producer of opium poppies and a major source of heroin”.
He credited the government of President Hamid Karzai with reducing opium poppy cultivation from 157,000 hectares in 2008 to 131,000 hectares in 2009, a 17 percent fall.
He accepted that “Poppy cultivation remains largely confined to provinces in the south and west where security problems greatly impede counternarcotics efforts. Nearly all significant poppy cultivation occurs in insecure areas with active insurgent elements.”
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
- Obama identifies Pakistan as "major transit country" for narcotics - Sep 17, 2010
- UN says rising opium prices threaten fight against drug production in Afghanistan - Jan 21, 2011
- Afghanistan producing more opium: official - Nov 22, 2011
- India among top drugs hotspots: UN report (Lead) - Mar 02, 2011
- Afghan lawmakers ask Russia for help ahead of US exit - Dec 03, 2011
- 400 kg hashish seized in Afghanistan - Nov 06, 2011
- UN survey finds 'major drug abuse' in Afghanistan - Jun 21, 2010
- UN chief urges Afghanistan to prioritise anti-drugs effort - Feb 17, 2012
- 54 drug smugglers held in Afghanistan - Jan 10, 2011
- Opium cultivation on the rise in Golden Triangle - Dec 14, 2009
- 6,000 hectares of poppy destroyed in Myanmar - Mar 07, 2011
- WikiLeaks: Taliban considers drug stock like savings accounts - Dec 21, 2010
- Afghan opium production to drop in 2010: UN - Feb 11, 2010
- 2010 Afghan opium production at 'lowest level' since 2003 - Oct 01, 2010
- India major target for money launderers, terrorists: US report - Mar 04, 2011
Tags: afghanistan pakistan, arun kumar, barack obama, clean chit, drug transit, eradication efforts, extremist groups, government of pakistan, hamid karzai, illicit drug, india pakistan, khyber, law enforcement resources, opium poppies, opium poppy cultivation, precursor chemicals, president hamid karzai, swat valley, transit country, tribal areas
