Friday, August 5, 2011

'Baloch madrassa students cultivating poppy in Afghanistan'

Hundreds of madrassa students from Chaman and the adjoining tribal regions of Balochistan are reportedly being engaged by Afghan farmers for poppy cultivation in the two major heroin-producing provinces of Helmand and Kandahar for the past three months.

Local sources said these Pakistani madrassa students make a beeline for Taliban strongholds to make some money during their summer holidays, which start from the first week of June.

“It is a source of easy money for madrassa students,” a local social worker of Ziarat who is well acquainted with many in the poppy harvesting workforce, said, adding: Each student makes around15 to 20 dollars a day. They are being paid in the local Afghani currency which has gained strength against the Pakistani rupee in recent months.”

“Most students returned home with 1,500 to 2,000 dollars after the harvesting season last year,” The Express Tribune quoted him, as saying.

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