A 121-kilometer gravel road from the Sarhad-e Broghil in Wakhan district of Badakhshan to the Chinese border was officially opened today, Sunday, October 4.

Abdul Latif Mansour, Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, said at the inauguration ceremony that the road includes 66 culverts and four major bridges, while a total of 3,100 meters of retaining walls have been built along parts of the route.

According to Mansour, 365 million afghanis from the Islamic Emirate’s development budget were spent on the construction and graveling of the road.

Mansour described the project as politically, strategically and economically important.

Rahmatullah Najib, governor of Badakhshan, also said at the ceremony that security has been ensured across the province and that there are no security problems in any part of Badakhshan.

India says a fugitive drug-trafficking kingpin accused of smuggling heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan into India has been deported from Turkey and brought back to the country.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that Navpreet Singh, also known as “Nav,” was deported from Turkey after Indian authorities tracked him down.

Shah said Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship using the fake identity “Navab Virk” and continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.

The 34-year-old, a native of Punjab, had been wanted in several narcotics cases and was on the run for more than two years. Indian authorities allege that he headed an international narcotics syndicate whose operations in India were managed by his cousin, Prabhdeep Singh.

Prabhdeep Singh, also known as “Harry,” was extradited from Azerbaijan to India in May in connection with a case involving the seizure of 358 kilograms of heroin in 2021.

India submitted its request for Navpreet Singh’s extradition to Turkish authorities in 2023-24, according to officials familiar with the case.

Shah described Singh’s deportation as a “historic milestone” and said the Indian government was committed to dismantling drug-trafficking networks.

The Indian Home Ministry says 288 fugitives from 36 countries have been brought back to India between 2019 and August 2026 as part of efforts to pursue wanted criminals abroad.

Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) and Tajikistan-based Pamir Energy Company have signed a cooperation agreement to provide electricity to border districts of Badakhshan province.

The agreement was signed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, by Abdul Haq Hamkar, Chief Executive Officer of DABS, and Amir Khan Rahim, President of Pamir Energy.

The agreement is aimed at expanding cooperation, improving electricity supply and creating the necessary conditions for providing power services to residents of Badakhshan’s border districts.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, the two sides also discussed extending a 110-kilovolt power transmission line to Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan.

Hamkar emphasized the importance of the project in strengthening the province’s electricity infrastructure.

Pamir Energy said it would share relevant proposals with DABS following technical assessments.