RASC News Agency: The local authorities of the Taliban faction in Panjshir province have announced the auction of more than 7,000 carats of emeralds extracted from the province’s mines. On Tuesday, January 16th, the Taliban’s Directorate of Mines and Petroleum for Panjshir Province revealed the sale of 7,430 carats of Panjshir emeralds to traders within the country, amounting to a total transaction value of $142,000.
Mohammad Qasim Amiri, the head of Taliban Mines and Petroleum in Panjshir province, noted that this marked the 11th occasion on which the department had directly sold a fresh batch of emeralds from the province’s mines. The sale occurred in the presence of the Panjshir mines’ supervision committee and several stone merchants. Notably, just a week prior, on January 9th, the Taliban’s Directorate of Mines and Petroleum in Panjshir Province announced the sale of 1,519 carats of emeralds from the same mines.
Reports indicate that the Taliban group has displayed significant interest in the mining sector since their rise to power, entering into numerous mining contracts with both domestic and foreign mixed companies. However, some individuals familiar with the situation have criticized the Taliban’s actions, denouncing them as the plundering of the country’s mineral resources. They argue that such behavior contradicts the moral standards upheld by society.
