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Kazakhstan’s President meets with his Afghanistan envoy as ties with Kabul deepen

Yerkin Tukumov was entrusted with facilitating effective building of interaction with Afghanistan.

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President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan met on Tuesday with Yerkin Tukumov, his recently appointed Special Representative for Afghanistan, in a move signaling Astana’s growing diplomatic and economic engagement with Kabul.

The meeting, held in the presidential palace in Astana, focused on Kazakhstan’s efforts to expand humanitarian, economic, and multilateral cooperation with Afghanistan amid regional shifts.

Tokayev emphasized the importance of Tukumov’s new role and instructed him to step up bilateral engagement, especially in trade, humanitarian support, and sustainable development.

“Afghanistan remains a priority for Kazakhstan’s regional diplomacy,” Tokayev said, adding that the government would actively support efforts to promote stability and economic integration in the region.

Yerkin Tukumov was appointed Special Representative for Afghanistan in June 2025. Prior to this, he served as Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, a post through which he developed deep experience in regional security issues, cross-border trade, and Central-South Asia connectivity.

Tukumov also previously headed the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the president, one of the country’s leading policy think tanks.

His appointment reflects Kazakhstan’s heightened focus on Afghanistan since the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021. While Astana has not formally recognized the Islamic Emirate, it has continued practical engagement through diplomatic channels, humanitarian assistance, and economic cooperation—especially in areas like food security, infrastructure, and transit.

Strategic engagement

Kazakhstan has also become increasingly active in Central and South Asia diplomacy, viewing Afghanistan as a critical link in regional connectivity. In recent years, Astana has hosted multiple international forums on Afghanistan, including UN-led conferences and regional security summits.

Earlier this year, Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding with Afghanistan’s authorities to explore the development of a rail corridor linking the two countries, aimed at enhancing trade and transport through Central Asia to South Asia.

The country is also home to the UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan, located in Almaty, which Tokayev said should be “more actively utilized” to support development and stability efforts in Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan continues to supply humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and has pledged further support in areas such as education, offering scholarships to Afghan students and hosting technical training programs for Afghan professionals.

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India sends over 63,000 vaccine doses to boost Afghanistan’s public health system

New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.

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India has reinforced its support for Afghanistan’s public health sector with the delivery of a new batch of essential vaccines to Kabul.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has supplied 63,734 doses of influenza and meningitis vaccines to Afghan health authorities as part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance program.

Afghan health officials noted that the vaccines will be integrated into national preventive healthcare efforts and will help curb seasonal illnesses while reducing the risk of meningitis outbreaks, especially during periods of heightened vulnerability.

They said the shipment arrives at a time when Afghanistan’s medical resources remain under significant strain.

India has served as a key health partner to Afghanistan in recent years, providing medical supplies, essential medicines, and several rounds of vaccines to help strengthen the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.

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Deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics travels to Uzbekistan

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Abdul Rahman Munir, the Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, traveled to Uzbekistan this afternoon along with his accompanying delegation.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the purpose of the trip is to participate in a meeting of member countries of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Drugs (CARICC).

The statement added that the meeting will be held on December 5 of this year in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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Imran Khan accuses Army Chief of ‘igniting’ Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions

In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”

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Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has accused Army Chief Asim Munir of deliberately “igniting tensions” with Afghanistan, calling his policies “disastrous” for Pakistan.

The 73-year-old former cricketer, who has been imprisoned since 2023, issued the remarks through his official account on the social media platform X. His statement was shared a day after his sister, Uzma Khan, met him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail following “special permission” granted by the government led by Shehbaz Sharif.

In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”

He further alleged that the army chief’s actions were motivated by a desire to please Western governments, saying Munir had “deliberately ignited tensions with Afghanistan so he could be seen internationally as a so-called ‘mujahid’.”

The founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf added that he had long opposed “drone attacks and military operations against our own people,” arguing such tactics would only worsen militancy. Khan claimed Munir first “threatened Afghans,” then oversaw the expulsion of refugees and the launching of drone strikes, the consequences of which he said were now visible in rising violence.

Khan also launched a personal attack on the army chief, calling him “mentally unstable” and accusing him of presiding over the “collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.”

He alleged that, on Munir’s orders, he and his wife had been imprisoned on fabricated charges and subjected to “the worst form of psychological torture.”

Khan said he had been held in solitary confinement for four weeks, with no human contact and without basic entitlements provided under the jail manual. He added that despite court directions, access to political colleagues, lawyers and family members had been blocked.

Referring to an incident involving another sister, Noreen Niazi, he said she was “dragged on the road” while trying to meet him.

Khan praised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for choosing “resistance over compromise” and urged him to “continue to play on the front foot.” He added that those threatening to impose governor’s rule in the province should “do it today rather than tomorrow and then watch what happens.”

An undeclared ban on meetings with Khan had fuelled speculation about his health. After visiting him, Uzma Khan said he was “perfectly fine” physically but was being subjected to “mental torture” in solitary confinement.

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