The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MoRRD) announced on Thursday it had signed a 143-million AFN agreement with a private company for the gravelling of the second phase of the Wakhan road in northeastern Badakhshan province.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the occasion in Kabul, the ministry’s spokesman Mohammad Younus Akhundzada said the road holds significant economic importance for Afghanistan, stating that once it is completed, it will connect Afghanistan to China.

According to Younus Akhundzada, the contract includes the construction of 71 kilometers of road worth 143 million AFN. He stated that by the end of the next [1404] solar year, the construction will be completed.

He emphasized that the practical work on the project will begin once the weather warms up.

Meanwhile, officials from the contracting company also assured the ministry that the road construction work will be completed on time.

“We can only work for four or five months each season, not throughout the year,” said Ghausuddin, chief of the contracting company.

Wakhan Road is 121 kilometers long, with the first phase of work started last year in the Little Pamir. Now, only the construction work remains, which will be completed in the upcoming year.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has rejected allegations by Pakistani army spokesman linking the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province with militants in Afghanistan.

The IEA urged Pakistan to focus on resolving their own security issues and internal problems instead of making such “irresponsible remarks”.

“No members of Balouch opposition have a presence in Afghanistan, nor have they ever had one or have any links with the Islamic Emirate.

“We are saddened by the loss of life of innocents in the incident. Sacrificing civilians for political objectives is unjustifiable,” the IEA said.

This comes after the Pakistan Army alleged that the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan this week was orchestrated by militants based in Afghanistan.

The assault on the train, which was carrying 400 passengers, began on Tuesday afternoon and continued until Wednesday. The attack resulted in the deaths of 21 passengers, 33 assailants, and four soldiers.

The Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the incident.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesman Abdul Matin Qane says the processing and smuggling of narcotics in Afghanistan has “significantly” decreased, and that the police forces combating drugs have made “important achievements” in preventing the cultivation, production, and smuggling of drugs.

Qane made these remarks in response to a recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and added: “We assure that the drug enforcement police have intensified their efforts in the fight against narcotics more than ever, and this process will continue.”

The recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime mentions that the price of opium has increased in Afghanistan.

In response to this report, Qane stated: “It is normal that when there is no production or supply, the price increases several times, and the statements from the mentioned office are a clear indication of the seriousness of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in eradicating narcotics from the country.”