Former US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Friday that the Islamic Emirate’s condemnation of the attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir was an “encouraging development”.

“In an encouraging development, the Taliban (IEA) have sided with the tourist victims in Kashmir and have denounced this terror attack,” Khalilzad said on X.

Twenty-six people were killed in a shooting in a tourist area in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on Tuesday.

The attack has escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, with the two countries taking measures against each other.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan condemned the attack and said that such incidents threaten the security and stability of the region.

Officials from the Union of Pharmaceutical Factories say investment in the country’s pharmaceutical sector is expanding. According to them, 900 different types of medicines are currently being produced by various factories operating in this field, and around 100 of those have reached self-sufficiency.

Members of the union are urging all ministries, including the Ministry of Public Health, to strengthen coordination with the private sector when drafting new policies and procedures, especially those related to investment development in the pharmaceutical industry.

“Currently, production of up to 900 types of medicine is underway in various forms. Afghanistan’s domestic pharmaceutical output could meet market demand with high-quality production of over 100 more medicines—if drug imports are restricted,” said Ahmad Saeed Shams, the union’s head.

Meanwhile, officials at the Ministry of Economy consider the development and support of the pharmaceutical industry a priority for the Islamic Emirate, emphasizing that they are working on solutions to the challenges faced by manufacturers to help the country achieve self-reliance in drug production.

Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, said: “The Islamic Emirate’s strategy in all sectors, including pharmaceuticals, is import substitution. We aim to increase exports in every area, and supporting domestic production is at the top of our agenda.”

Economic experts also stress the need for the government to provide more support and incentives to investors to foster the growth of the pharmaceutical industry.

However, the Union of Pharmaceutical Factories expressed concern over existing challenges in the sector, warning that without government intervention, some pharmaceutical factories may be forced to shut down.

Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian National Security Council, says the situation in Afghanistan will be one of the main topics at the upcoming International Security Conference in Moscow. The event is scheduled to take place late next month with representatives from over 150 countries in attendance.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Shoigu stated that the Russian Security Council intends to explore ways to enhance security cooperation with countries referred to as the “Global Majority” or the “Global South and East” during the conference.

Shoigu noted that Afghanistan alongside issues such as the situation in the Middle East and Syria remains a top foreign policy priority for Russia.

“Security issues in the post-Soviet space, including Afghanistan, as well as the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighboring countries, especially through platforms like the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be major points of discussion,” he said.

The conference is set to take place on the 27th, 28th, and 29th of next month in the Russian capital.

As part of its efforts to strengthen security ties, the Russian Security Council will also hold meetings with the national security secretaries of countries in the CSTO, BRICS, and the SCO.

This conference comes shortly after Moscow removed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from its list of banned organizations. Following that decision, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, visited Kabul and held talks with officials from the Islamic Emirate on Russia-Afghanistan relations.