Afghanistan’s Center for Strategic Studies says discussions at the second Termez Dialogue primarily focused on economic cooperation between Central and South Asia through Afghanistan, particularly on strengthening regional economic connectivity.

In a post on X, the center said that around 200 representatives from more than 40 countries and 10 international and regional organizations attended the meeting, which was held on Thursday.

Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate, participated in the event online. Zaker Jalaly and Ghuncha Gul Arman also attended on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Center for Strategic Studies.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and research institutions from Central Asian countries held detailed discussions on the Afghanistan–Central Asia Think Tanks Forum, which is scheduled to take place in Kabul on June 16.

Afghanistan is facing worsening humanitarian challenges as disruptions linked to the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis drive up food, fuel and transport costs, placing additional pressure on aid operations across the country.

Speaking at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, World Food Programme (WFP) Acting Executive Director Carl Skau said warnings issued earlier in the crisis about the knock-on effects of higher energy prices were now materialising in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.

Skau stated that few places illustrate the cascading consequences of the crisis more starkly than Afghanistan.

Fresh from a visit to the country, he described witnessing hundreds of mothers carrying visibly malnourished children away from a rural health clinic near Jalalabad because nutrition supplies had run out.

The shortages stem from a combination of funding cuts and supply-chain disruptions that have complicated deliveries previously routed through neighbouring countries.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Skau said. “The desperation in that clinic is hard to describe.”

Afghanistan is simultaneously coping with economic pressures linked to the regional crisis and the return of some 2.8 million people deported or repatriated from neighbouring countries over the past year.

According to WFP, an additional 2.3 million people in Afghanistan have been pushed into acute hunger since the crisis began nearly 100 days ago.

Rising food prices, higher transport costs and underfunded aid programmes are reducing the ability of humanitarian organizations to reach vulnerable communities.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also warned that shipping delays and rising transport costs are affecting the delivery of critical supplies, including vaccines, therapeutic food and medical assistance. Humanitarian cargo is now facing delays of up to six months in some cases.

UN officials say the impact of the Strait of Hormuz crisis extends far beyond the Middle East, with vulnerable countries such as Afghanistan bearing some of the heaviest consequences. They warn that prolonged disruptions could further increase hunger, deepen poverty and undermine fragile humanitarian gains.

The latest warnings come as aid agencies continue to appeal for greater international support to prevent a further deterioration of conditions for millions of Afghans who remain dependent on humanitarian assistance.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, has said that the general amnesty announced following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021 was aimed at preventing revenge and helping restore security and stability across the country.

According to IEA deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, Akhundzada made the remarks during a meeting in Kandahar with governors, heads of Ulema councils, appellate court chiefs, tribal elders, and religious scholars from nine provinces in northeastern and northwestern Afghanistan.

Addressing the gathering, Akhundzada said the Islamic Emirate had instructed its fighters not to seek retribution against former government officials, security personnel, or others associated with the previous administration.

“We prevented the Mujahideen from taking revenge and prohibited them from doing so,” he said. “We told them to lay down their weapons; we would not kill them and would not hold them accountable. They laid down their weapons, and we granted them amnesty.”

The general amnesty was announced shortly after the Islamic Emirate took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, ending two decades of conflict between the former Western-backed government and the IEA. The move was widely presented by the authorities as an effort to encourage reconciliation and prevent further bloodshed during the transition of power.

Akhundzada said that after years of war and suffering, Afghans should be encouraged to forgive one another and move beyond longstanding grievances. He urged religious leaders and community elders to promote reconciliation and help prevent old disputes from being passed on to future generations.

He added that lasting peace requires communities to reject cycles of revenge and hostility, warning that unresolved conflicts could continue to fuel divisions if left unaddressed.

The meeting was also attended by officials from the Kandahar Ulema Council, the Supreme Court, the Central Darul Ifta, the Religious Publications Evaluation Department, and a number of teachers and madrasa administrators.