Reports from the Tirah Valley in Khyber district suggest that smugglers have imposed strict restrictions on mobile phone use inside the area’s hashish markets after a wave of public outrage and social media campaigns against drug trafficking.
According to local sources, traders and buyers are now barred from taking photos or recording videos in the market. The move follows widespread criticism online after several clips of open drug sales in Tirah went viral, exposing the thriving illegal trade.
Sources say the decision came under pressure from local political figures who were reportedly angered by the publicity surrounding the hashish trade. These political actors, once accused of quietly enabling smuggling networks, are said to have warned traffickers that the viral footage had caused serious embarrassment and “created unnecessary trouble” for them.
The ban on mobile phones, insiders believe, is meant not to stop the trade but to keep it hidden from public view.
