Washington: US President Donald Trump has named India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China among 23 nations he labelled as "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing" countries. In his statement, delivered to Congress through a Presidential Determination, Trump stated that these nations, by producing or facilitating the movement of illegal narcotics and precursor chemicals, were threatening the safety of the US and its citizens.
According to the White House, the "Major’s List" is meant to flag those nations considered primary sources or conduits for illegal drugs entering the United States. The US State Department said the designation was not only about production but also the transit of drugs across borders.
Trump lashed out at China, calling it the "world’s largest source" of precursor chemicals used in fentanyl production. On Afghanistan, he dismissed the Taliban’s much-publicized ban on narcotics, stressing that stockpiles and production had continued to feed international markets.
Trump linked the global narcotics trade to terrorism financing, saying the illicit profits from drugs were sustaining violent groups worldwide.
