Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, accompanied by a delegation, visited Hairatan Port on Wednesday, according to the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Office.

During the visit, discussions focused on ensuring the provision of 24-hour services at Hairatan Port and addressing the existing challenges faced by government institutions operating there, including the ministries of Finance, Industry and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, Transport and Aviation, and Public Works, as well as the Hairatan Commissionerate, the Food and Drug Authority, the Standards and Quality Authority, and some state-owned corporations. Necessary decisions were taken to resolve these issues.

According to the decisions made, the staffing of government institutions at the port will be increased as needed. Large and standard parking facilities, administrative buildings, cargo loading and unloading centers, advanced laboratories, standard roads, and cold storage facilities will be constructed.

The existing railway lines will be expanded, transportation vehicles will be provided to facilitate transport and logistics, digital weighing scales will be installed for measuring heavy loads, and mobile scanners will be deployed to prevent smuggling.

The office stated that these measures are expected to enable the uninterrupted delivery of efficient 24-hour export and import services at Hairatan Port, which, in turn, will increase the volume of bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and contribute positively to economic growth.

India has sharply criticized Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over civilian deaths caused by recent airstrikes in Afghanistan, accusing Islamabad of violating international law and Afghan sovereignty.

Speaking at a Annual UNSC Open Debate on “Protection of civilians in armed conflict”, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said it was “hypocritical” for Pakistan to speak about international law and Islamic solidarity while carrying out airstrikes during Ramadan that reportedly killed civilians, including women and children.

“It is ironic that Pakistan, with its long-tainted record of genocidal acts, has chosen to refer to issues that are strictly internal to India. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported that in the first three months of 2026, 750 civilian deaths and injuries were documented in Afghanistan as a result of cross-border armed violence perpetrated by Pakistani military forces, most of which occurred due to air strikes,” he said.

Parvathaneni then said that Pakistan was behind the airstrike on Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, which killed 269 people, all civilians.

“The UNAMA documentation attributed 94 of 95 incidents of civilian casualties to Pakistani Security forces. The world has not forgotten that it was during the holy month of Ramadan in March this year, at a time of peace, reflection, and mercy, that Pakistan conducted a barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul. Again, according to UNAMA, this cowardly and unconscionable act of violence claimed the lives of 269 civilians and injured a further 122 in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target,” he said.

The Indian envoy further condemned Pakistan for “ignoring” international calls to protect civilians.

“It is hypocritical to espouse high principles of international law while targeting innocent civilians in the dark. The air strikes by Pakistan occurred at the conclusion of tarawih evening prayers, when numerous patients were leaving the masjid, as per UNAMA,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s strikes on Afghanistan earlier this year.

Parvathaneni then stated that such “heinous acts of aggression” by Pakistan should not come as a surprise, as it was a country that “bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide.”

Iranian airline SAHA has launched direct flights between the cities of Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan, and Mashhad in Iran.

Airline officials said that 135 passengers were transported between Mazar-e-Sharif and Mashhad on the inaugural flight, adding that the flights are scheduled to operate once a week.