Kazakhstan, Taliban Push For $3 Billion In Bilateral Trade

In a message marking World Refugee Day on June 20, Sharif said Pakistan stands in solidarity with refugees around the world alongside the international community.

Pakistani prime minister said the day is observed globally to promote empathy for refugees and raise awareness of the hardships and suffering they endure.

Referring to Afghanistan’s refugee history, Sharif said: “For Pakistan, however, this is not merely a sentiment expressed on a particular day; it reflects a humanitarian commitment that our nation has demonstrated in practice for nearly half a century.”

He added that after the events of 1979, millions of Afghans fled war and insecurity and sought refuge in Pakistan. Despite its limited resources, he said, Pakistan opened not only its borders but also its arms to successive generations of Afghan refugees.

Sharif claimed that, in keeping with its humanitarian traditions, Pakistan has remained one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries for more than four decades, establishing settlements and camps where several generations of Afghan families have lived with dignity.

His remarks about providing Afghans with a dignified refuge come as Pakistan has been carrying out a large-scale campaign to expel undocumented Afghan migrants since September 2023. According to Islamabad, more than 2.4 million Afghans had returned to Afghanistan by June 2026.

The statement also comes at a time of heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban administration over security concerns, recent cross-border attacks and Pakistan’s allegations that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants operate from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Relations between the two sides have deteriorated sharply, and the ceasefire has effectively collapsed.

He discussed the issue in a meeting with the Taliban governor of Bamiyan.

According to a statement from the Taliban governor’s office in Bamiyan, Governor Gul Haidar Shafaq said the concerns would be addressed.

The meeting took place on Friday, June 20. The statement said senior Shia community figures discussed ways to resolve disputes between local residents and Kuchi nomads in parts of Hazarajat, including areas of Bamiyan province.

According to the Taliban governor’s office, Shafaq said cases involving local residents and Kuchis, particularly in Punjab district, would be handled “on the basis of neutrality, social justice, reliable Islamic legal documents and verified evidence”.

Disputes between predominantly Shia settled communities and mainly Sunni Kuchi nomads in central Afghanistan are among the country’s longstanding legal and social challenges. Each spring, Kuchi herders move their livestock towards grazing lands in central Afghanistan, often leading to tensions and clashes with local residents.

Earlier, the Taliban’s Ministry of Borders, Tribal Affairs and Frontier Regions confirmed clashes between Bamiyan residents and Kuchi nomads. The ministry said it had mediated and resolved a dispute over grazing land in Punjab district. Taliban officials also confirmed that two people were injured in the confrontation.

According to the Interfax news agency, Choriev said on the sidelines of the Tashkent International Investment Forum that technical and economic feasibility studies for the major infrastructure project are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Information released by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport indicates that construction of the Trans-Afghan railway is expected to take at least five years.

Referring to ongoing talks with partners from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Choriev said the railway would provide the shortest route to Pakistan’s Karachi port and create a transport link between India, Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

According to Choriev, the Eurasian Development Bank has expressed readiness to help finance the project, which is expected to have the capacity to transport nearly 20 million tons of cargo annually.

Earlier, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reaffirmed support for the Trans-Afghan railway during the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum, saying Uzbekistan was actively working on the strategic transit corridor. He added that the route would provide direct access to southern seaports.

Russia has also previously announced that it is prepared to participate in the project.

An Afghanistan International correspondent in the Indian capital met the injured fighter on Friday, accompanied by two attendants, and observed that he was struggling to walk unaided.

The Taliban member and his two attendants are currently staying in the Lajpat Nagar area of New Delhi.

The fighter told Afghanistan International that he had been wounded during border clashes in Spin Boldak.

He said arrangements for his travel to India were made on the direct orders of Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid and that the Indian embassy in Kabul had assisted in issuing his visa.

A Taliban official indirectly confirmed the matter to Afghanistan International on Saturday, saying: “Patients have gone to India for treatment before.”

The Indian embassy in Kabul has not publicly commented on the case. It remains unclear how many Taliban members are currently in India for medical treatment.

India suspended regular and electronic visa services after the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021. Although visa issuance has not fully resumed, a new visa system for Afghan nationals was introduced in 2025.

Under the new policy, medical visas, medical attendant visas, business visas, student visas, entry visas and UN-related visas are available to Afghans, although access remains limited and applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. India’s primary focus has been on medical and humanitarian visas.

Border tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban administration have escalated in recent months, involving cross-border shelling, air strikes and direct military confrontations.

Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, insecurity along the border and militant activity have intensified. Pakistani soldiers and Taliban fighters have been killed and wounded in the clashes, although precise casualty figures remain unclear. The United Nations has said that civilians have borne the brunt of the violence.

Since taking power, three Taliban ministers have officially visited India: Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Industry and Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi, and Public Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali. Pakistan’s response to these visits has generally been cautious, concerned and at times critical.

India has steadily expanded its diplomatic and economic engagement in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Islamabad views this trend as part of a broader geopolitical rivalry and remains highly sensitive to it.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said the main purpose of the visit is to hold the Afghan Kazakh Trade and Economic Forum and an exhibition of Kazakh products and goods in the Afghan capital.

The ministry said the visit will also focus on expanding economic relations, facilitating trade between the private sectors of both countries and promoting Kazakh products in the Afghan market.

Like most countries, Kazakhstan has not formally recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. However, it has maintained limited and conditional engagement with the group in recent years. In June 2024, Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organisations.

The Taliban administration says Kazakhstan is interested in cooperating with its government across a wide range of sectors.