Criminal Underworld: Unraveling The Dark Web Of Gangs In Pakistan And Afghanistan

Afghanistan and Pakistan are both facing a rise in criminal gangs and organised crime. In Afghanistan, the capital city of Kabul has seen a spike in criminality in recent years, with the city's population growth and dwindling economic opportunities forcing more people into illegal activities. The city's criminal underworld is comprised of well-armed and politically-connected groups, with the country's illegal economy including sectors like illegal mining, the wildlife trade, and arms trafficking.

In Pakistan, the city of Karachi has long been a notoriously violent megacity where criminal gangs, political parties, and Islamic extremists jostle for control. The Pakistani mafia is involved in drug trafficking, assassination, land grabbing, arms smuggling, and various other illegal activities.

Criminal gangs in Afghanistan are often connected to powerful people in government and the police

The Taliban has attempted to curb opium poppy cultivation, but with little success. In 2000, the Taliban banned opium poppy cultivation, but allowed the opium trade to continue. This led to a reduction in opium production, but it was short-lived. After the downfall of the Taliban in 2001, cultivation and trafficking of opium increased significantly once again.

The drug trade in Afghanistan is dominated by five major crime organisations, comprised of a mixture of warlords, government officials, regional organised crime groups, and Mujahedin. These groups have a significant competitive advantage due to the country's weak governance and lack of rule of law, which allows them to operate with little interference from the government. The profits from the drug trade are used to further fuel violence and conflict in the country, with drug traffickers providing financial support to anti-government organisations.

In addition to the drug trade, criminal gangs in Afghanistan are also involved in other illegal activities such as kidnapping, robbery, and human trafficking. These activities are often facilitated by the lack of effective law enforcement and the presence of corrupt officials. The human smuggling market, for example, is facilitated by corrupt officials and politicians who sell visas and provide other means of passage.

The connection between criminal gangs and powerful people in government and the police poses a significant challenge to the country's stability and security. It leads to increased criminal activity, corruption, and violence, making it difficult for the government to establish control and maintain peace.

Criminal gangs in Afghanistan are involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, and contract killings

Drug Trafficking

Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium, and in 2001, the country was the source of 87% of the world's illicit opium. Opium poppy cultivation and drug trafficking have played an important role in the political and economic situation of Afghanistan for the last 25 years.

Since the downfall of the Taliban in 2001, cultivation and trafficking of opium have increased significantly. Throughout the country, regional militia commanders, criminal organisations, and corrupt government officials have engaged in drug trafficking as a source of revenue. Some anti-government groups also profit from the drug trade.

The drug trade in Afghanistan is not limited to opium. The country has also become a substantial source of methamphetamine, with ephedra, a common wild herb, being a key component in its production.

Kidnapping

Kidnapping is a lucrative business in Afghanistan, with ransoms often in excess of $1 million. Many cases go unreported and most are unsolved. Criminal gangs in Afghanistan have been known to target children and adults from the families of Afghanistan's fledgling business class.

Robbery

Criminal gangs in Afghanistan are also involved in robberies. Armed robberies are regularly reported in the western districts of Kabul.

Contract Killings

Afghanistan also has a problem with contract killings or assassinations.

Criminal gangs in Pakistan are ethnically based and are involved in drug trafficking, assassination, land grabbing, arms smuggling, and various other illegal activities

Pakistan's criminal underworld is ethnically based, with gangs often operating along family lines and within specific communities. The Pakistani mafia is spread across many countries and is involved in a range of illegal activities.

Pakistan has a significant problem with drug trafficking, particularly heroin. Afghanistan, its neighbour, is the world's largest producer of heroin, but it relies on Pakistan for export, as it has no direct access to international waters. Pakistan-based gangs, therefore, play a key role in the global heroin trade, exporting Afghan heroin to the Middle East, Europe, and Australia.

In addition to drug trafficking, Pakistani gangs are involved in a range of other criminal activities, including assassination, land grabbing, and arms smuggling. Gangs are also involved in kidnapping, gun-running, highway robberies, extortion, and human trafficking.

One of the most well-known Pakistani gangs is the Chotu gang, led by Ghulam Rasool (alias "Chotu"). The gang operated in the Kacha area of Rajanpur and was known for kidnapping people from Karachi, Baluchistan, and the Rahim Yar Khan District. They used heavy weapons procured from Afghanistan and put up fierce resistance to law enforcement, even using captured police officers as human shields.

Another notorious gang is the D-Company, a coalition of criminal and Islamic terror groups led by Dawood Ibrahim. D-Company has been linked to several terrorist attacks in India, including the 1993 Bombay bombings, and is believed to have a strategic alliance with Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI.

In addition to these larger gangs, Pakistan also has a significant problem with street gangs, particularly in Karachi, the country's largest city. These gangs often recruit children, who are used as spies, couriers, and messengers by both criminal gangs and extremist groups.

The Pakistani government has launched several initiatives to combat organised crime, including a country program signed with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2016 to enhance efforts to tackle illicit trafficking, border management, and criminal justice reform. Despite these efforts, criminal gangs remain a significant problem in Pakistan, with deep connections to politics, law enforcement, and powerful individuals.

Street children in Karachi are being recruited by criminal gangs and the Taliban for use as spies, couriers, and messengers

Street children in Karachi, Pakistan, are being recruited by criminal gangs and the Taliban for use as spies, couriers, and messengers.

Karachi is Pakistan's largest city, with an estimated population of 20 million. It is also home to about 200,000 street children, who are an easy target for criminal gangs and the Taliban. These children are often forced to live and work on the streets due to family problems, peer pressure, drug abuse, or domestic abuse.

The Taliban has been using the city to raise funds through extortion and kidnapping since arriving in the city in 2010. Both the Taliban and local gangs recruit messengers from the large population of street children. The children are used to carry weapons and deliver bhatta (extortion) threats and are also used as spies and couriers, as they are less likely to be suspected by intelligence agencies and the police.

The street children are often lured to gang headquarters, where they are given drugs and sexually abused before being recruited. This makes it easy to brainwash them, and the children feel safer with the adults in the gangs, who have power over them.

The Pakistani government has been criticized for not doing enough to protect these children, with police officers allegedly receiving financial benefits from criminal gangs.

Criminal gangs in Pakistan are often connected to political parties

The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Karachi's most powerful political party, was also accused of involvement in violence and corruption. The MQM and the PPP have been the two main civilian parties in Karachi, and the MQM has controlled the city for decades through a combination of a large ethnic support base, political acumen, and armed gangs.

In addition to the MQM and PPP, other political parties in Pakistan with alleged connections to criminal gangs include the Awami National Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. The Pakistani military has also been accused of supporting and protecting Islamic terror groups and criminal gangs, such as D-Company, which has been implicated in terrorist attacks in India.

The connection between criminal gangs and political parties in Pakistan is often characterised by a system of extortion, racketeering, protection payments, and "voluntary" donations known as bhatta. This system is deeply embedded in the city's politics and distinguishes Karachi's gangs from their more clandestine counterparts in other parts of the world.

Furthermore, street children in Karachi are often recruited by criminal gangs and extremist groups, such as the Taliban, as spies, couriers, and messengers. These children are targeted due to their invisibility and ease of exploitation, and they are used to carry out various criminal activities, including target killings and drug trafficking.

Overall, the relationship between criminal gangs and political parties in Pakistan is complex and multifaceted, with gangs often serving as enforcers or extensions of political parties' influence and power.

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