Ahmad Jan Bilal, General Director of State-Owned Corporations, met with Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad during a visit to Iran to discuss expanding cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

Bilal, accompanied by Mohammad Nasir Rahimi, chief executive of the Afghan state-owned Oil and Gas Corporation, held talks with the Iranian minister on supplying Afghanistan with its oil and gas needs, technical and vocational training, and joint cooperation in oil and gas exploration.

Bilal and his delegation also visited the Iranian Oil Ministry’s research center and oil refineries in Tehran, where they reviewed the facilities’ technical and professional activities and capabilities.

The Iranian side expressed readiness for comprehensive cooperation, necessary coordination and implementation of joint projects in the areas discussed.

At the end of the meeting, both sides introduced joint technical teams tasked with coordinating and following up on the necessary measures to implement the agreed areas of cooperation.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned an attack on a mosque in Kohat city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during Friday prayers.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry’s spokesman described attacks on places of worship as “unjustifiable and condemnable.”

The ministry also expressed sympathy with the families of those killed and injured in the incident.

At least 16 people were killed and 57 others injured in the blast in Kohat on Friday.

No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, on Friday laid the foundation stone for the Imam Shaqiq Balkhi Industrial Township at the Hairatan Two-Way intersection in Balkh province.

Speaking at the ceremony, Baradar said the Islamic Emirate’s priority is to gradually transform Afghanistan into a productive country and turn its young population into a productive workforce.

He said efforts are also underway to connect industries, production and markets and make Afghan products available in regional and international markets.

Baradar described the Balkh industrial township as a practical demonstration of the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to developing an industrial and productive economy.

According to Baradar, the project will help address the shortage of industrial land in Balkh, create opportunities for businesses, reduce dependence on imports and provide jobs for thousands of people.

He said Balkh is one of Afghanistan’s key commercial, transit and industrial provinces and called for the Hairatan port and transport route to play a greater role in exports.

“Hairatan should not only be a route for imported goods and regular traffic,” Baradar said, adding that it should become an important transit corridor for exporting Afghanistan’s processed and manufactured products.

Baradar also called on the international community to expand formal economic relations with Afghanistan and remove financial and banking restrictions.

He said the Islamic Emirate has both the capacity and determination to participate in regional and global economic partnerships.

At the ceremony, Baradar urged industrialists to invest in different sectors within the new township and said the government would provide the necessary facilities and cooperation.

The Balkh Industrial Township will be developed on 22,000 jeribs of land. It is expected to provide space for businesses involved in processing raw materials, manufacturing standardized products and exporting finished goods.