Local Taliban officials in Nimroz province announced they have seized over three tons of smuggled medicine and non-food items in the city of Zaranj. The Bakhtar News Agency, which operates under Taliban control, reported that the shipment originated from Pakistan.
According to the report, the goods were hidden in four vehicles and were intended to be illegally transported from Pakistan into Nimroz province. This seizure comes as the Taliban government has implemented a ban on importing medicine from Pakistan.
In late Aqrab of last year, following escalating political tensions with Islamabad, the Taliban government formally banned pharmaceutical imports from Pakistan. The decision was enforced in the month of Dalw, delivering a significant blow to Afghanistan's medicine market.
Prior to this ban, over 60% of Afghanistan's required medicines were supplied by Pakistan, according to the country's pharmaceutical importers union. The strained relations have halted formal trade, but reports indicate that medicine smuggling through illegal channels continues.
Citizens and pharmacists report that since the ban was enforced, medicine prices in Afghan markets have risen sharply, and access to some essential drugs has become limited. They attribute the price hikes to the reduced supply of Pakistani medicines and the increased cost of transporting them via smuggling routes.
Taliban officials have not provided further details about the specific types of drugs seized or the financial value of the shipment. The Taliban government has previously discovered and burned several large shipments of smuggled medicine in various provinces, including Helmand.
Source: Bakhtar News Agency
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