Haji Ayub Afridi
Encyclopedia
Haji Ayub Afridi or Ayub Afridi is a Pakistan
i drug lord turned politician presently living in Pakistan. He is called the founder of the Afghan
heroin trade.Naeem Afridi:Not the trade. Basically, the idea... Suroosh Alvi:The concept... of what ...
Naeem Afridi:of herion}} After the September 11 attacks he was seen as an ally to the US attacks against the Taliban. He has also been approached by United States as a part of their efforts to exert control over Afghanistan.
, the principal city located in Khyber Pass, Khyber Agency. He belonged to the Afridi tribe of Zakha Khail. He started life as a truck driver but quickly used his transportation connections to make a small fortune smuggling gold. In the 1980s he forged close ties with Pakistan's military led by general Zia ul-Haq.
Ayub Afridi died in November 2009 in his late seventies. He is buried in the Ayub Afridi Kalay, Landi Kotal.
. In close collaboration with the CIA, he was able to supplement huge amounts of money for the Mujahideen
in Afghanistan through his growing of poppies to supply the heroin trade. Using his smuggling network to move weapons supplied by the CIA to the mujahidin rebels fighting inside Afghanistan. Afridi used the same channels to move Afghan opium to secret laboratories in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Afridi was elected as a Member of National Assembly, Pakistan, in 1990. He contested the election as a free candidate from Khyber Agency.
Most of his property at various posh areas in Pakistan was confiscated by the Government of Pakistan
. As is the custom in the area with the Maliks of the area, in mid-eighties he built a well-fortified residence, known as Ayub Afridi Kalay (Ayub Afridi villege), in Landi Kotal in Khyber Agency
.
, in the 1980s. He had also been fined 5 million rupees (US$82,000). No reasons were given for Afridi's release, or under which legislation he was allowed to return to his home town in Khyber Agency
in Federally Administered Tribal Areas
.
on November 17, 2005 in an appeal challenging an order of the special appellate court against the forfeiture of his assets. Afridi was sentenced by the Pakistani Anti-Narcotics Force
(ANF) Court in a drug smuggling case and was declared absconder when he failed to appear before the court. On March 30, 2006 the Supreme Court allowed the Anti Narcotics Force to confiscate a 100-room ‘palace’ and other properties worth Rs 167.8 million.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i drug lord turned politician presently living in Pakistan. He is called the founder of the Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
heroin trade.Naeem Afridi:Not the trade. Basically, the idea... Suroosh Alvi:The concept... of what ...
Naeem Afridi:of herion}} After the September 11 attacks he was seen as an ally to the US attacks against the Taliban. He has also been approached by United States as a part of their efforts to exert control over Afghanistan.
Early life
Afridi grew up in the Landi KotalLandi Kotal
Landi Kotal or Landikotal is a town of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. It is located at 34°6'4N 71°8'44E and lies on the Khyber Pass in the Khyber Agency. At 1,072 metres above sea level it is the highest point on the Khyber Pass and is the route across the mountains to the...
, the principal city located in Khyber Pass, Khyber Agency. He belonged to the Afridi tribe of Zakha Khail. He started life as a truck driver but quickly used his transportation connections to make a small fortune smuggling gold. In the 1980s he forged close ties with Pakistan's military led by general Zia ul-Haq.
Ayub Afridi died in November 2009 in his late seventies. He is buried in the Ayub Afridi Kalay, Landi Kotal.
Involvement in the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Afridi was a key player in the Soviet war in AfghanistanSoviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. In close collaboration with the CIA, he was able to supplement huge amounts of money for the Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
in Afghanistan through his growing of poppies to supply the heroin trade. Using his smuggling network to move weapons supplied by the CIA to the mujahidin rebels fighting inside Afghanistan. Afridi used the same channels to move Afghan opium to secret laboratories in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Afridi was elected as a Member of National Assembly, Pakistan, in 1990. He contested the election as a free candidate from Khyber Agency.
1995 arrest
In December 1995, the Americans were able to trick Afridi into leaving his sanctuary in Afghanistan and coming to Pakistan by promising him right of passage. As soon as he touched down in Pakistan, he was arrested in connection with importing hashish into Belgium. He served three years of his sentence before being shipped to Pakistan on August 25, 1999 after serving a three and a half-year sentence in a U.S. prison and paying a 50,000-dollar fine. An agreement was reached where he would face another trial in Pakistan. In Pakistan he was given a seven-year sentence for the same charge, importing hashish into Belgium. He only served a few weeks of his sentence.Most of his property at various posh areas in Pakistan was confiscated by the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
. As is the custom in the area with the Maliks of the area, in mid-eighties he built a well-fortified residence, known as Ayub Afridi Kalay (Ayub Afridi villege), in Landi Kotal in Khyber Agency
Khyber agency
Khyber is a tribal area in the FATA region of Pakistan. It is one of the eight tribal areas, better known as agencies in Pakistan. It ranges from the Tirah valley down to Peshawar...
.
2001 Release
After the September 11 attacks he was freed from prison in Karachi after serving just a few weeks of a seven-year sentence for the export of 6.5 tons of hashish, seized at Antwerp, BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, in the 1980s. He had also been fined 5 million rupees (US$82,000). No reasons were given for Afridi's release, or under which legislation he was allowed to return to his home town in Khyber Agency
Khyber agency
Khyber is a tribal area in the FATA region of Pakistan. It is one of the eight tribal areas, better known as agencies in Pakistan. It ranges from the Tirah valley down to Peshawar...
in Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
.
2005 legal trouble
In 2005 Afridi was accused of international drug trafficking and ordered to appear before the Pakistani Supreme CourtSupreme Court of Pakistan
The Supreme Court is the apex court in Pakistan's judicial hierarchy, the final arbiter of legal and constitutional disputes. The Supreme Court has a permanent seat in Islamabad. It has number of Branch Registries where cases are heard. It has a number of de jure powers which are outlined in the...
on November 17, 2005 in an appeal challenging an order of the special appellate court against the forfeiture of his assets. Afridi was sentenced by the Pakistani Anti-Narcotics Force
Anti-Narcotics Force
The Anti Narcotics Force is a government controlled organization in Pakistan which targets the eradication of drug supply, drug dealing and organizing rehabilitation programmes. The ANF is a Pakistani police's special forces that is mandate to conduct difficult operations against the drug mafia...
(ANF) Court in a drug smuggling case and was declared absconder when he failed to appear before the court. On March 30, 2006 the Supreme Court allowed the Anti Narcotics Force to confiscate a 100-room ‘palace’ and other properties worth Rs 167.8 million.