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.”

The Qatar government has urged the international community to support Afghanistan in helping former poppy farmers find alternate ways to earn a living.

According to a statement delivered in Vienna by Jassim Yaqoub Al-Hammadi, Qatar’s envoy to the UN, there have been some positive indicators in the global fight against drugs.

He said at the 68th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs this week that despite an overall bleak picture globally, “there are some positive indicators, such as the sharp decline in opium production in Afghanistan and the ongoing efforts by the Syrian government to dismantle captagon laboratories and destroy the produced stock.”

He called for concerted international efforts to support Afghanistan and the Syrian Arab Republic, particularly in helping Afghan farmers through alternative development programs and supporting domestic economic alternatives to drug cultivation.

Al-Hammadi said Qatar has emphasized that the challenges the world faces today in combating drugs can only be addressed through the implementation of commitments under the three international drug control conventions, ministerial declarations, and support for the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) as the primary policy-making body of the United Nations responsible for drug control affairs.

Afghanistan has long had a history of opium poppy cultivation and harvest. In 2021, Afghanistan’s harvest produced more than 90 percent of illicit heroin globally, and more than 95 percent of the European supply.

The country has been the world’s leading illicit drug producer since 2001.