Amrullah Saleh Warns Against Taliban’s Shift on Opium Cultivation Policy

Amrullah Saleh, former Vice President of Afghanistan, has criticized the Taliban administration’s change in stance regarding the cultivation and trafficking of narcotics, describing the approach as contradictory. He noted that before the signing of the Doha Agreement, the Taliban justified poppy cultivation and drug trafficking by citing Quranic rulings; however, following their return to power, the prohibition of opium cultivation and the fight against drugs have been influenced by the Doha Agreement and changes in the Taliban’s policies. In a satirical critique, Saleh questioned the difference between Sharia before 2021 and Sharia after the Doha Agreement, attributing these changes to the prioritization of political and financial considerations over religious principles in the Taliban administration’s policies. These criticisms have again highlighted concerns about the stability of the Taliban administration’s drug control policies, a matter that directly affects Afghanistan’s security and social conditions.