Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, has called on religious scholars to play a stronger role in promoting the protection of the Islamic system and Afghanistan’s national interests among the public.

Speaking at a turban-tying ceremony at Jamia Fath al-Uloom in Kabul on Wednesday, Baradar urged scholars to adopt a softer tone in their sermons and public addresses.

He said that alongside teaching religious obligations, scholars should help foster a sense of responsibility toward safeguarding the Islamic system and national unity.

Baradar described madrasas as the sacred foundations of religious learning, moral education, spiritual and intellectual development, and Islamic movements within Muslim societies.

He noted that in Afghanistan, religious teachings and the concept of sacred jihad originated in madrasas, spread from villages to cities, and eventually translated into action and resistance.

He also emphasized the role of madrasas in the intellectual reform of society, the removal of what he described as un-Islamic cultural influences, and the preservation of Islamic traditions.

Baradar stressed that religious schools must remain committed to their original mission and values under all circumstances.

Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan held high-level talks in Kabul aimed at strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations, officials said.

The meeting brought together Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and Bakyt Sadykov, Minister of Economy and Trade of the Kyrgyz Republic, who is leading a visiting delegation to the Afghan capital.

Azizi welcomed the Kyrgyz delegation and thanked them for visiting Kabul, underscoring the importance of closer economic engagement between the two countries.

During the talks, both sides discussed ways to boost bilateral trade by making better use of existing capacities and identifying priority export commodities.

The discussions also focused on developing transit routes, signing transit agreements, attracting joint domestic and foreign investment, and expanding cooperation through trade exhibitions, business conferences and regular meetings.

The two ministers stressed the need to implement earlier agreements, particularly the economic and trade cooperation roadmap signed during a previous visit by an Afghan delegation to Kyrgyzstan.

They said effective follow-up on these commitments would be key to translating discussions into tangible results.

Officials from both countries said the meeting was intended to deepen economic, trade and investment ties, while opening new avenues for partnership between Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan in the coming period.