7 killed, 5 injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhawok): Last week, Russia invited a representative from Afghanistan to participate in the Kazan Economic Forum and Kazakhstan announced a $500 million investment in the Torghundi-Herat railway project, Kabul said it was appointing a diplomat at the ambassadorial level in Moscow.

Key developments of last week:

• The IEA is appointing a diplomat at the ambassadorial level to Moscow.
• Russia invited a representative of the IEA to attend the Kazan Economic Forum.
• The IEA says trade between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan will reach $3 billion.
• Trade agreements worth $140 million were signed between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan.
• Kazakhstan is investing $500 million in the Torghundi-Herat railway project.
• The UN reported since the beginning of April, 120,000 Afghans have returned to their homeland from Pakistan.

Casualties:

Last week, seven people were killed and five others injured in various incidents across Afghanistan.

Local officials in Baghlan said a man killed his wife, brother and nephew. In Nuristan, a man was killed due to a personal feud while one person was stabbed to death and another shot dead in separate incidents in Sar-i-Pul.

Additionally, unidentified gunmen killed a man in Uruzgan, and in Paktia, a landmine explosion injured four children and one woman.

In the previous week, 11 people had been killed and four others injured in separate incidents across the country.

Before the regime change in August 2021, hundreds of civilians, insurgents and security personnel would get killed and maimed every week.

Kabul-Moscow ties

Last week, Russia agreed to accept a diplomat from the Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (IEA) at the ambassadorial level.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi met Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov.

A statement from the ministry said both sides discussed strengthening bilateral ties, expanding economic and trade relations and addressing various regional matters.

Muttaqi appreciated the Russian move to remove the “Taliban Movement” — a term previously used for the Islamic Emirate — from the list of banned organisations in the country.

“Minister Muttaqi thanked the Russian Federation for agreeing to accept a diplomat from the IEA at the ambassadorial level and pledged that the government will soon introduce a new ambassador to serve in Moscow,” the statement added.

Muttaqi reiterated diplomatic recognition reflected a positive step toward enhancing bilateral cooperation.

For his part, Kabulov said Moscow valued the development of ties with Afghanistan and was taking practical steps to eliminate obstacles to further engagement.

He also announced a special meeting would be held of the Russia-Afghanistan Joint Permanent Commission on the sidelines of the Kazan Forum next month.

Dmitry Zhirinov, the Russian ambassador in Kabul, extended an invitation to Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor, the acting minister of water and energy, to participate in the Kazan Economic Forum, slated for May this year.

Afghanistan-Kazakhstan trade ties

Last week, a high-level delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin of Kazakhstan, arrived in Kabul.

Kazakhstan pledged a $500 million investment to develop the Torghundi–Herat railway segment in Afghanistan, marking a major step in strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul GhaniBaradar met Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin on a wide range of economic cooperation initiatives, including a significant investment in Afghanistan’s railway infrastructure.

Similarly, during a meeting with the Kazakh deputy prime minister, Muttaqi requested visa facilitation for Afghan traders in order to boost trade.

NooruddinAzizi, the acting Minister of commerce and industry, said at the opening ceremony of the Kazakh-Afghan Trade Forum that Afghanistan’s trade volume had increased by 32% in 1403 (2024/25), and that he was committed to raising it to $3 billion.

During the meeting, the deputy prime minister of Kazakhstan said his country supported a progressive and independent Afghanistan and saw significant developments occurring across various sectors.

He added Kazakhstan was ready to invest $500 million in the implementation phase of the Torghundi-Herat section of the Torghundi-Herat-Spin Boldak railway project and to establish a logistics and transport company in Herat to support the advancement of the scheme.

At a meeting with Maulvi Hamidullah Akhundzada, the acting minister of transport and civil aviation, he said an air corridor between the two countries would soon be activated.

This comes as the Kazakh-Afghan Trade Expo was launched in Kabul last week, during which 17 agreements worth $140 million were signed between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan.

Return of refugees from Pakistan

Arafat Jamal, UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, stated nearly 120,000 Afghan refugees had returned from Pakistan since the beginning of the current month.

With the start of the second phase of the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, hundreds of families are returning to the country daily through the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings.

The returning refugees have complained about mistreatment by Pakistani police.

Maulvi Abdul Kabir, the acting minister of refugees, called on the international community to provide assistance for the construction of permanent shelters for refugees.

He urged humanitarian organisations to focus their aid on refugees within Afghanistan.

Pakistan has set a June 30 deadline for the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan nationals, including those holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said formal deportation procedures would begin after the deadline. “Afghan refugees have been, and remain, our guests. They are being sent back with dignity and respect.”

sa/mud