Ayub Afridi (drug lord)
Muhammad Kareem | |
|---|---|
| Deputy for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas | |
| In office 6 August 1990 – 1993 | |
| President | Ghulam Ishaq Khan |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1930–1939 Khyber Agency, North-West Frontier Province, British India |
| Died | 24 November 2009 (aged 70–79) Landi Kotal, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan |
| Nationality |
|
| Political party | Islamic Democratic Alliance (1990–1993) Pakistan Peoples Party (1993–2009) |
| Occupation | Drug smuggler, politician |
Ayub Afridi (Pashto: ایوب اپریدی, Urdu: ایوب افریدی; c. 1930–1939 – 24 November 2009) was a Pakistani drug smuggler and tribal politician. He is considered to be the primary founder of the widespread drug trade (particularly heroin) in Afghanistan. There are a variety of speculations that Afridi, following his close collaboration with the CIA for Operation Cyclone against the Soviet Union, was approached by the United States as a part of an effort to gain easier access to Afghanistan and the semi-autonomous tribal areas of Pakistan after 9/11.