Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday voiced concern over expanding ties between Afghanistan and India, as Islamabad grapples with a sharp rise in militant attacks and vows to eliminate terrorism.

Speaking to reporters, Tarar criticized repeated visits by Afghan officials to India, alleging they form part of a “foreign-funded agenda” aimed at destabilizing Pakistan. He questioned the nature of such engagement, linking it to militant violence inside the country.

India and Afghanistan have repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s claims of supporting armed groups.

His remarks follow visits to India last year by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi and Public Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali — among the highest-level Afghan engagements with New Delhi since 2021.

According to Pakistan’s military, the country recorded 5,397 militant incidents in 2025, including 3,811 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 1,557 in Balochistan. Security forces conducted more than 75,000 intelligence-based operations, killing 2,597 militants.

Tarar said the government remains determined to combat terrorism in all its forms and ensure the security of Pakistani citizens amid escalating militancy.

Meanwhile, Mohibullah Wasiq, chief of staff at the Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan, highlighted in a post on X late Monday the balanced foreign policy of the Islamic Emirate and announced that expanding bilateral relations with India based on the principle of mutual respect is one of the important priorities of the country’s foreign policy.

According to him, after four years of IEA rule, this new stage of relations provides an important opportunity to strengthen economic cooperation, develop trade, consolidate bilateral relations and secure common interests between the two countries.

The body of an Afghan student was discovered late Saturday night in his apartment in Gujarat state, India.

The student, Bainullah Ziya, 34, was studying for a PhD at the Department of Architecture at MS University and was living in a residential apartment in the Fatehgunj area, Vadodara city, Times of India reported.

Indian police said the body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Officials suspect suicide, but the reasons behind the alleged act are still unknown.

Sayajigunj police said they are also examining Ziya’s mobile phone to gather clues about the incident.

Friends of Ziya said they had knocked on his apartment door on Saturday but received no response. When the police opened the door, they found his body lying inside the room.

Ziya had been living in Vadodara for the past two years while pursuing his studies in architecture.

Local authorities said the investigation into the exact cause of death is ongoing, and final results will be shared after completion of the legal process.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has issued a decree clarifying the exclusive jurisdiction of the specialized court for usurped lands.

The decree emphasizes that no other government ministries or departments are authorized to handle cases related to usurped lands.

According to Article One of the decree, all matters involving usurped lands, public grazing lands, and waqf lands (charitable endowment land) fall solely under the specialized court’s authority. Other government departments are explicitly barred from intervening in such cases.

Article Two outlines the procedure for citizens who have complaints regarding the Commission for the Prevention of Land Usurpation and Recovery, or the technical committees responsible for identifying and verifying usurped lands. Individuals may submit their complaints in writing directly to the specialized court for resolution.

The decree also prohibits ministries and other government departments from receiving complaints or requesting information from the Commission or provincial technical committees. Any attempts by these departments to intervene after the decree’s issuance will be considered unauthorized.