A 16-member delegation from Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh province, led by Deputy Governor Bahrom Yusupov, has visited Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province to discuss expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The delegation met with Kunduz provincial officials and local business representatives during a meeting at the provincial governor’s office.

Kunduz Deputy Governor Mawlawi Habib Rahman Sohaib welcomed the delegation and discussed ways to strengthen economic ties and expand joint trade between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Sohaib invited Uzbek and other foreign investors to invest in various sectors in Kunduz, assuring them that the provincial authorities are prepared to provide the necessary facilities and support for investors.

He also called on the Uzbek side to make it easier for Afghan traders to obtain visas in order to facilitate and accelerate trade between the two countries.

Bahrom Yusupov thanked Kunduz officials and traders for their warm welcome, saying Uzbekistan is interested in increasing its investment in Afghanistan.

He said the delegation’s visit was aimed at further strengthening trade relations between the two countries and added that Uzbek businesses would seek opportunities to invest jointly with Afghan traders in Kunduz in the future.

The visit comes as Kunduz plays an important economic, agricultural and transit role in northern Afghanistan, with direct and indirect trade routes linking the province to Central Asian countries, particularly Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Security officials in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province say the situation in Zebak district is currently stable, but claim that Pakistan is providing shelter and training to opponents of the Islamic Emirate in the Chitral region.

Abdul Basir Mazhari, Badakhshan’s police chief, said opponents of the Islamic Emirate have established shelters and training facilities near the Durand Line in Chitral.

He claimed the groups could attempt to use the Shah Salim Pass to disrupt security in Badakhshan and other northeastern provinces.

“There is evidence that Pakistan has established shelters and training centers for opponents of the government near the Durand Line,” Mazhari said. “Badakhshan is the only province in the north that shares a border with Pakistan, and Pakistan has gathered opponents of the government in Chitral.”

Despite the claims, residents in central Zebak said daily life remains normal and there have been no signs of fighting in the area.

Badakhshan security officials said their forces have been deployed along the Durand Line and remain on standby to respond to any potential threats.

According to local officials, Zebak district has three routes connecting it to areas across the Durand Line, with security forces stationed in the area.