Residents of Helmand have told Nimruz TV that marble extracted from mines in Khanashin district continues to be smuggled to Pakistan through Bahramcha despite the closure of trade routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Sulaiman, a marble miner in Khanashin who previously served in the Afghan National Army, said the mines provide employment for nearly 100 people who depend on the work to support their families.
He expressed concern, however, about marble being exported from Helmand at low prices and called for stone-processing factories to be established inside Afghanistan instead of exporting the material in raw form.
Juma Khan, another miner who has worked in the marble sector for around 12 years and supervises a team of about 30 workers, urged authorities to take action against the smuggling of Afghanistan’s mineral resources.
He said Afghan marble is sold cheaply inside the country, while after being transported to Pakistan and processed there, the same stone is exported back to Afghanistan at a higher price.
According to Juma Khan, between three and five trucks loaded with marble are reportedly smuggled from Helmand to Pakistan through Bahramcha each day.
Helmand’s marble mines are located mainly in Khanashin and Disho districts. The stone is used for flooring, building facades, tables, vases, containers and other decorative products.
A marble-processing factory is also operating in Lashkar Gah, but residents say its activities are limited and mainly focused on producing paving stones. A significant portion of marble extracted in Helmand is also transported to Kandahar, Kabul and Herat.
Before the closure of trade routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Helmand marble was exported to Pakistan through the Spin Boldak crossing.
Separately, the Taliban’s Nangarhar police press office said on Sunday that its forces had prevented the illegal transportation of more than 5,000 kilograms of precious stones in Pachiragam district.
According to Taliban officials, one person was arrested while allegedly attempting to transport the stones illegally to Pakistan in a cargo vehicle through Durbaba district.
The prolonged closure of trade routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan has placed additional pressure on legal trade. At the same time, Taliban authorities periodically report seizures and interceptions of illegally transported food and non-food goods along routes connecting the two countries.
The claims of marble smuggling through Bahramcha were provided by local residents and have not been independently verified by Nimruz TV.
