Taliban officials in Panjshir province say more than 250 new emerald mines have been discovered in the Parian district, with 100 of them already registered and six granted official extraction licences.
Saifuddin Laton, spokesperson for the Taliban-appointed governor of Panjshir, announced the development on Tuesday, adding that the sales process has been conducted in what he described as a “legal and transparent” manner. According to Laton, the emeralds were sold through an official auction to both domestic and international traders.
The Taliban's Directorate of Mines and Petroleum in Panjshir reported that 3987 carats of emeralds have been sold, generating over $500,000 in revenue.
However, the rapid and large-scale extraction of emeralds from Panjshir has drawn criticism from civil society groups and watchdog organisations. The Panjshir Studies Centre, a local research institute, previously published survey findings indicating that 90 percent of respondents believe the Taliban is “plundering” the province’s natural resources and that local communities see no benefit from the mining revenue.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has auctioned thousands of carats of emeralds, reportedly earning millions of dollars. Critics argue that, amid an ongoing economic crisis, the group has increasingly focused on exploiting the country’s mineral wealth, often bypassing legal frameworks and excluding local populations from the benefits.
