Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Urges World To Expand Economic Ties Instead Of Sanctions

Taliban deputy prime minister for economic affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Saturday urged regional and global countries to expand economic ties with Afghanistan, calling for engagement rather than sanctions and political pressure.

According to a statement issued by Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, Baradar made the remarks while inaugurating a commercial market in Balkh province, presenting trade and investment as key pillars of economic recovery.

Baradar said a stable and economically resilient Afghanistan would not threaten other nations, arguing that closer regional cooperation could contribute to shared prosperity and strengthen cross-border connectivity.

He said the Taliban administration supports broad-based economic and political engagement at regional and international levels, including transit trade, infrastructure development and private-sector investment.

The comments come as Afghanistan's main trade routes with Pakistan have remained largely closed for more than two months following rising tensions between the Taliban and Islamabad, disrupting imports, exports and supply chains.

Baradar has previously warned that Afghanistan could block imports of Pakistani goods, including medicines, a move economists say could worsen shortages and push prices higher in domestic markets.

Afghanistan is meanwhile grappling with a deep humanitarian and economic crisis. United Nations agencies estimate that more than half of the population depends on aid, while poverty has surged since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Aid groups say unemployment affects as much as 75% of the workforce, with the collapse of foreign aid, banking restrictions and limited investment leaving millions struggling to secure food, healthcare and basic services.

The economic hardship is compounded by sweeping social restrictions, including bans on girls' education beyond the sixth grade, exclusion of women from universities and limits on female employment, policies Western governments cite as major barriers to restoring normal economic relations.

Diplomats and analysts say sustained sanctions relief and foreign investment are unlikely unless the Taliban ease education and social restrictions, warning that continued isolation risks deepening Afghanistan's economic collapse and humanitarian emergency.

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