7,234 Carats of Emeralds Sold in Panjshir for Nearly 7 Million Afghanis

Seifuddin Laton, spokesman for the Taliban-appointed governor of Panjshir, said 7,234 carats of emeralds from the province were sold to domestic traders in a legal auction for 6,994,500 Afghanis.

He said the auction was held in the presence of a delegation from the Mines Protection Committee. The Taliban administration did not provide further information on how the emeralds were priced or details of the auction process.

Laton claimed that more than 1,000 young people from Panjshir are now active in the emerald trade in Panjshir, Kabul markets and foreign countries.

The spokesman for the governor of Panjshir also said that 17 types of precious minerals have so far been identified in the province, and some of them, including emeralds, are being extracted officially and legally.