Khyber: a district that on one side borders Afghanistan and on the other opens into the mysterious valleys of Tirah. Every week these valleys turn into scenes of open “drug fairs,” where raw hashish and other deadly narcotics are traded openly. These illegal markets are so active that their reverberations are heard everywhere, yet—astonishingly—law-enforcement agencies are nowhere to be seen.
- The writer is a retired Brig, war veteran, defence security and political analyst, columnist, author of five books, ex-chairman TFP, Patron-in-chief CDS Think Tank, Director Meesakh Research Centre, Chief Election Commissioner Tehreek-e-Jawanan Pakistan, takes part in TV talk shows daily.
- *The views and opinions expressed herein, and any references, are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Centre for Development and Stability (CDS).
The question arises: who runs this trade? Under whose protection does all this happen? Is it really true that nobody knows what is going on in Tirah? The truth is everyone knows, but in the shadow of vested interests no one dares to speak.
According to United Nations reports, Afghanistan produces 80 percent of the world’s narcotics. During its occupation by the Western forces from Nov 2001 to Aug 2021, it was the largest narcotic den and profits earned from narcotic trade were utilised for funding proxy wars, hybrid war and meeting the expenses of counter terrorism by the ISAF and six intelligence agencies.
The country is also a stronghold for more than a dozen major terrorist organizations, including globally proscribed groups such as al-Qaeda, IS-KP, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The tragedy is that Afghanistan exports both terrorism and narcotics—and Pakistan is the primary target of these exports.
Among the routes used to smuggle drugs and terrorists from Afghanistan into Pakistan, the Tirah Valley figures prominently. Entry points such as Satobi, Nazia Banda, Raggah Koki Khel, and Spin Ghar Morgah are actively used to channel this poison into Pakistan.
This is not the work of a few criminals. In reality, the entire business is run by a nexus of criminal gangs and political circles. It is not merely an illegal trade but a poison that is devouring the dreams and hopes of Pakistan’s youth. These markets still operate openly, but for ordinary citizens entering the area is tantamount to inviting death.
Recent figures show that in one year alone cultivation of cannabis/hashish was reported on 12,000 acres in Khyber district. It is estimated that illegal income from each acre ranges between Rs. 2.5 million and Rs. 3.0 million, benefiting 75 percent of the local population. It is alarming that this year’s narcotics crop alone is worth more than Rs. 800 crore—money being produced to ruin our youth’s lives. Terrorists, smugglers and political personalities all take their share from this illicit economy.
Tirah Valley is effectively the gateway through which hashish is imported into Pakistan. Local production is blended with Afghan products and distributed across the country. The open supply of narcotics has resulted in roughly 17 million people in Pakistan being afflicted by addiction. Recent aerial footage of Tirah clearly shows hashish worth billions being dried—soon to be sold in markets.
An extensive extortion network also operates in Tirah under the name of “ushr” (tithes). Khariji (terrorist) groups charge crores of rupees for the “security” of this business. A portion of this money is transferred to terrorists based in Afghan cities like Kandahar and Kabul, proving that the narcotics trade financially sustains international terrorism.
Bara’s “Karkhano Market” is considered the largest center for smuggled goods in Pakistan. Clothes, electronics, weapons and hashish smuggled from Afghanistan are readily available there. It is hard to find a Bara or Tirah household not connected to this smuggling trade. That illicit income reaches terrorist groups and is used to fund local politicians’ election campaigns.
Sources say Sohail Afridi (Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) opened a small sweater shop in Peshawar’s Karkhano Market in 2021–22, which soon turned into a center for hoarding and distributing drugs. Hashish was procured from the markets of Tirah and Bara, then transported from Peshawar in non-customs vehicles for supply nationwide. Sohail Afridi’s house in Landi Arbab was in effect his operational base.
It is reported that later his brother Naveed Afridi and other associates expanded the hashish smuggling. They established contacts with Fitna-al-Khawarij (a terrorist group) and developed deep ties with smuggling networks in Afghanistan, Orakzai and Nangarhar.
Close associates of Sohail Afridi—Mina Khan Afridi, Abdul Ghani Afridi and Haji Nawab—organized their activities into a structured group. They continued moving narcotics and weapons to Punjab through secret compartments in vehicles.
The network reportedly included figures such as Nisar Afridi, Tabat Shah Afridi, Naik Muhammad Khan and Nasrullah Afridi. Notably, Tabat Shah Afridi is said to be the brother of Nimat Shah Afridi, founder of Frontier Post, who had previously been arrested by ANF for drug smuggling. Nasrullah Afridi was also detained on charges of aiding terrorism, but was released due to political influence.
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly, PML-N member Jalal Khan once made serious revelations on the assembly floor addressing Sohail Afridi. He alleged, “
By your protests, you get powder and hashish filled vehicles to Islamabad and Rawalpindi; you sell stolen mobile phones.”
Questions are also raised about PTI’s role in Sohail Afridi’s political rise. Reports say he, like other candidates, paid Rs. 2 crore to obtain a party ticket. It is also claimed that PTI receives most of its funding from these same areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that thrive on narcotics and smuggling.
When Fitna-al-Khawarij reemerged in Tirah, Sohail Afridi’s network became their financial and operational ally. They set up a narcotics “factory” in the Kajora area, while his brother Naveed Afridi is said to be involved in supply chains with Taliban networks in Nangarhar.
Movements such as PTI and PTM (Pashtun Tahafuz Movement) are reported to receive support from the same mafias that deny the presence of terrorists in the valley. These groups label security forces’ operations as “collateral damage” and try to garner international sympathy under the banner of human rights. When the Pakistan Army and other agencies act against them, these political voices oppose the operations. The question is: why do they oppose these operations? Is it mere coincidence or a clash of vested interests?
According to sources, local traders in Tirah are often heard saying openly, “These drug fairs take place in open fields; everything is available—hashish, ice, local liquor, pills—everything.” If the Anti-Narcotics Force is conducting operations across the country and destroying drugs worth billions, then why is Tirah a “no-go zone” for them? Where are the Deputy Commissioner of Khyber, the Commissioner of Peshawar and other district administration officials? What pressure prevents them from stopping this trade? Which political leaders stand with whom? Is there nobody to hold them accountable?
A recently viral video sent by a Tirah trader shows him saying: “This is Tirah’s field; this is Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s hashish crop; after some time it will be turned into hashish and then sent to Peshawar.” Despite such incontrovertible evidence, these individuals should be in jail—not occupying the office of chief minister.
So far, 514 operations have been carried out in Tirah and adjoining areas, in which 70 terrorists have been killed. These operations also resulted in 49 martyrs, including members of the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC), Police and civilians.
The high number of martyrs indicates the presence of local collusion and facilitators for the enemy. These actors not only incite the public against the army and state institutions but also provide shelter and facilities to terrorists to protect their illegal interests.
When those who run the narcotics, hashish and black-money racket acquire political influence and begin financially supporting terrorists, security agencies have no choice but to act. This trade must be stopped. As a nation we must decide: will we accept all this? If yes, terrorism will never end.
This game must stop now, otherwise this poison will not only sink into our land but into our generations. This business is not limited to hashish; it is, in fact, a trade in conscience.
Now the people must decide whether they will entrust their and their children’s fate to these terrorists and drug traffickers or free themselves from them. The time has come to raise a collective voice against this poison and to take measures at every level to eradicate this scourge for the survival of the nation.
