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Taliban thrive on tobacco smuggling
By: Farzana Shah | Published: July 19, 2010
PESHAWAR With the traditional means of generating income drying up, the Taliban militants have found a new source of income in the shape of smuggling tobacco products, mainly cigarettes, across the border and within Pakistan.
According to the sources, in order to fund their terrorist activities, Taliban have joined the ring of tobacco smugglers, which was earlier dominated by the influential figures including the tribal leaders and politicians.
For counterfeiting the cigarette production of international/local brands, the illegal factories are operating in the areas of Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Charssadda, Landi Kotal, Bara, south and north Waziristan, Kohat, Bannu, Buner, Malakand, and other adjoining areas, which roughly meet the 22 percent of the total public demand for tobacco products in the country.
These factories, owned by the influential tribal lords, (in some cases) politicians, and other small and big smuggler groups, operate in connivance with the local police, security and customs officials, and revenue department officials, which share bhatta (illegal commission) paid by the smugglers. But recently, a new stakeholder has emerged, who has overpowered the rest of other stakeholders vis-a-vis the commission paid by the smugglers.
This new stakeholder belongs to pro-Taliban militant groups operating in many parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (former NWFP), and the troubled northern tribal belt.
It is significant to mention here that Swabi and Mardan districts are considered as hub of the illegal production of cigarettes. Most of the illegal factories for the cigarette production are located in those areas, which are at present controlled by the different militant groups.
A senior intelligence official, wishing not to be named, believes that almost 15 to 20 percent of the expenses of militant and Taliban groups are being borne out through tobacco smuggling.
We have no official statistics for the money involved in tobacco smuggling but one thing is sure that billions of rupees are involved in this business, he said.
In Bara town of Khyber Agency, a famous drug baron (who became notorious in 1990 for all the wrong reasons and surrendering to US authorities) runs a huge factory, which produces various international brands illegally, like Benson & Hedges, Marlboro, Dunhill, 555, etc. These brands are smuggled to Afghanistan via different routes: most of these are controlled by the different militant groups.
As the area is dominated by the pro-Taliban groups, hence he pays the amount regularly to these pro-Taliban militant groups in Pakistan, and Taliban inside Afghanistan for the safe passage to his convoys.
The entire Khyber Agency, except for Bara town is controlled by the two militant groups and one of the groups is headed by Mangal Bagh, the leader of pro-Taliban Lashkar-e-Islam (army of Islam) group.
According to the sources, Mangal Bagh group provides full protection to these factories and businesses in return of the illegal tax that it gets from those factories. The group does not damage these factories and their convoys are even provided the safe passages.
Mangal Bagh group in recent past had tried to spread itself to Bara town and asked the aforementioned drug baron to pay tax to him, however, the baron hired the services of a rival militant group known as Pir Group, which provided protection to his business. A bloody war in 2008 between Mangal Bagh, and Pir groups had claimed 19 lives over the issue of that illegal commission, which was one of the major sources of their funds. Later, a Jirga decided that Pir Group would operate in Bara Town, while Mangal Bagh would operate in rest of the areas of Khyber Agency.
The sources inform that as per the agreement between Pir Group and other rival Mangal Bagh group, the drug baron has agreed to pay commission to Mangal Bagh group too because of his strong control on entry and exit routes of the Khyber Agency.
The illegal factories operating in southern Khyber Pukhtunkhwa districts - Kohat and Bannu - smuggle cigarettes to Khost, Paktika, and Paktia provinces of Afghanistan via Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan. This area is totally in grip of pro-al Qaeda Uzbek militants, belonging to Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who receive hefty amounts for providing safe passage to the convoys.
The sources inform that the smugglers are supposed to pay 10 to 20 percent commission to the militant groups on every consignment for the protection and safe passage of the illegal products.
The small groups are also operating in South Waziristan area where usually the local brands are produced and smuggled to Afghanistan. This route is jointly controlled by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and pro-government Taliban commander Mullah Nazir group. The smugglers pay separately to both of them.
In the same context, Mohmand Agency (controlled by Khalid Omar group), Bajaur Agency (controlled by Maulvi Faqeer Muhammad group), are the other smuggling routes.
Darra Adamkhel, adjacent to Peshawar, which otherwise is notorious for the arms production, is also hub of the production of cigarettes. One of the most popular brands Red & White is made in Darra Adamkhel. Other brands made for Pakistan and Afghanistan are Press, Rangers, Panch Khata (five lines), and Peela Hathi (yellow elephant) etc.
The illegal cigarette production in Swabi, located 70 kilometres north of Peshawar, is controlled by a powerful local tribal chief, and former politician (Names are available with TheNation) whose son and one of his brothers are in active politics currently.
A local politician and a former parliamentarian controls the illegal business in Mardan district, situated 40 kilometres northwest of Peshawar. He belongs to one of the ruling parties in coalition Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (the name of this politician is also available TheNation).
These factories produce Mild-7, and Fine brands of cigarettes, which are smuggled to Afghanistan. These cigarettes are popular in the villages of northeastern and western Afghanistan.
These two districts are considered heaven for the police and customs officials as a major portion of the cigarettes produced here are smuggled to Afghanistan and southern and northeastern parts of Pakistan.
Local sources informed that most of the international and local brands of cigarettes being sold in Afghanistan are made in Bara, Landi Kotal, and other parts of Khyber Agency, where tobacco related businesses are the major source of livelihood for the local people.
Thousands of king-size cartons filled with different brands of cigarettes are stacked in one of several sprawling gowdowns in the outskirts of Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency, a semi-autonomous region located some 40 kilometres west of Peshawar. These cartons are supposed to be smuggled to neighbouring Afghanistan and Central Asian States of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the north, and to the local markets of Lahore, Karachi and the southwestern coastal belt through trucks and containers.
Taliban thrive on tobacco smuggling | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
