Michael Kugelman, a US-based foreign policy expert and the Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, said on Thursday that president-elect Donald Trump may be more willing than incumbent President Joe Biden to engage with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Kugelman said in a post on X that Trump will praise the IEA for its operations against Daesh and it will be something that will have his attention, given that he liked to claim credit for curbing Daesh.

Kugelman has in the past said that Trump, as president, would be less likely to focus on the state of women’s education and human rights in Afghanistan.

The IEA has expressed hope that under Trump, significant progress can be made in relations between Kabul and Washington.

In a post on X on Wednesday, the IEA’s foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the government hopes the future Trump administration "will take realistic steps toward concrete progress in relations between the two countries and both nations will be able to open a new chapter of relations".

He underscored that during former president Trump's first term in power he presided over a peace deal with the Islamic Emirate that paved the way for the US withdrawal in 2021 "after which the 20 year occupation ended".

The Doha agreement was signed on February 29, 2020, in Qatar between the IEA and the United States under Trump, but excluded Afghanistan's then-ruling government.

The governor of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), Noor Ahmad Agha, has called on global Islamic financial institutions for assistance across a number of areas in the country’s banking sector.

Addressing a conference in Bahrain, Agha appealed for help in capacity building, training programs, better management of Zakat and Waqf, and the conversion of conventional banks to Islamic banking systems.

Speaking at the 19th annual Islamic banking and finance conference of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), which was held in Bahrain on November 3 and 4, Agha also appealed for assistance in attaining a sustainable, efficient, and resilient Halal banking system and the establishment of a robust financial and economic sector in Afghanistan.

The conference was attended by the central banks of Islamic countries and nearly 300 representatives from Islamic commercial banks.

DAB governor emphasized the significance of establishing institutions dedicated to better regulating and managing affairs related to Zakat, Waqf, Infaq, and Sadaqah, highlighting the vital role of such institutions in the fair distribution of wealth in society, according to a statement released by DAB on Thursday.

He also raised the issue of Riba-based banking, the development of Islamic banking, and the stability of the banking system in Afghanistan.

Riba is commonly used to refer to excessive charges for borrowing money. Charging interest for loans is deemed riba, or an unjust, exploitative gain, and is forbidden under Islamic law.

JP Singh, Indian foreign ministry’s joint secretary for the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division, has met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul.

The two sides discussed political and economic relations between Afghanistan and India, and people's movements, the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.

Muttaqi expressed hope that relations between India and Afghanistan would expand in various fields. He stressed that to develop trade relations, Indian visa facilities should be increased for Afghan citizens, especially businesspersons.

He also thanked India for its humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and called India's pledges in the development sector promising.

According to the statement, JP Singh said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and have an ancient history.

The Indian diplomat said that along with humanitarian aid to Afghans, India has also started development assistance to Afghanistan and is engaged in technical discussions with relevant Afghan institutions. JP Singh stressed that the development of relations between the two countries is important, adding that in the near future, negotiations will be held between technical delegations of regional countries including Afghanistan and India on the Chabahar port. He also promised to increase Indian visa facilities for Afghans.