Indian foreign ministry said on Friday that New Delhi seeks to strengthen its relationship with the people of Afghanistan.

The remarks come after India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai last week.

Indian foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told reporters that it was Delhi’s highest level of engagement with the IEA since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

“We have clearly spelled out that we want to do more to offer humanitarian assistance and also to engage with the people of Afghanistan on development cooperation, and both these counts we want to continue to build on what we are doing there to strengthen our long-standing relationship with the people of Afghanistan,” Jaiswal said.

He said that India also wants to do more on sports.

“You would have seen there are several cricket players from Afghanistan who play here in IPL, Greater Noida or one of the places also happen to be the home ground,” he said.

On the meeting in Dubai, IEA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said that they saw India as a “significant regional and economic partner.”

It said that the meeting discussed expanding relations with Afghanistan and boosting trade through Chabahar Port in Iran.

Local officials in Panjshir have announced the discovery of over 1,600 emerald mines in the province, with extraction currently underway at 600 sites.

Over the past year, the extraction of emeralds from 600 mines in Panjshir has yielded 100,000 carats, valued at approximately $6.9 million.

Panjshir Governor Mohammad Agha Hakim expressed optimism that the development of the mining sector will provide significant job opportunities, particularly for the province’s youth.

Economic experts believe that increased investment in large-scale mining could create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, helping to reduce unemployment.

Meanwhile, Panjshir residents are calling on the Islamic Emirate to expand mining contracts in the province, highlighting the area's wealth in emeralds, iron, lead, zinc, and gold.

A judicial delegation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), led by deputy of the Supreme Court, Sheikh Abdul Malik Haqqani, departed for Tehran to discuss issues related to Afghan prisoners, the court announced on Friday.

The primary objectives of the visit include strengthening judicial cooperation between the two countries, ensuring the rights of Afghan prisoners in Iran, fostering mutual goodwill, seeking alternatives to execution for Afghans sentenced to death, and facilitating the extradition of prisoners, Supreme Court said in a statement.

During the two-day visit, the judicial delegation will hold comprehensive discussions with Iran’s justice minister, the head of the Convicted Prisons Extradition Committee, and other senior officials.

Iran Human Rights has reported that in the first 10 months of 2024, the country has executed 49 Afghan nationals,

According to IHR, the number of executions of Afghan nationals in Iran has increased in the past three years.