KABUL (Pajhwok): Uzbekistan has welcomed a Taliban ban on the opium trade as a crucial step forward in the campaign against drugs.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev hailed the ban in an interview, according to Eurasianet, a US-based website.
The diplomat said: “The ban on the cultivation of opium poppy, and also on the production, sale and transportation of all types of narcotic substances has become a key step for definitively rooting this problem out …”
The ban was also important for the Taliban to join efforts by regional states to further boost stability and security, Irgashev told the news website Gazeta.uz.
He called the ban a clear confirmation of the Taliban’s conscientious behaviour and their aspiration to make Afghanistan a responsible member of the international community.
Seeking relief for its neighbour, Uzbekistan recently joined forces with Pakistan to lobby for the lifting of sanctions on Afghanistan.
Irgashev hoped the ban on the opium trade would help combat terrorismby depriving militant outfits of a revenue source.
The envoy believed the new rulers of Afghanistan would take concrete steps to allow girls access to education in line with a key demand from the international community.
PAN Monitor/mud
Views: 112