Pakistan FM urges OIC to help Afghanistan

Islamabad: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday presented a six-point proposal to avert a crisis in Afghanistan, which includes the creation of a mechanism for immediate and continuous delivery of humanitarian and financial aid to the Afghan people.

During the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting today, the Foreign Minister said: “The consequences of a humanitarian crisis and an economic collapse will be horrendous… we must not allow this to happen.”

“We should also agree to increase investment in the people of Afghanistan, bilaterally or through the OIC, in areas such as education, health and technical and vocational skills to the Afghan youth,” he said during the 17th extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, as quoted by Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan today warned that “If Afghan government fails to counter-terrorism, other countries may face spillover”.

Khan said that owing to a dearth of resources, if the Afghan government remained unable to counter-terrorism, other countries may also face its spillover impact, reported Geo News.

While Pakistan has been blamed globally the for burgeoning Afghanistan crisis and helping the Taliban, Prime Minister Imran Khan put the onus on corrupt government, suspension of foreign aid, freezing of foreign assets and a dysfunctional banking system for the collapse of Afghanistan.

He also underscored the need for humanitarian aid to Kabul and said that if the world failed to act in a timely manner, Afghanistan could potentially become the “biggest man-made disaster.”

Highlighting the collapsing hospitals, education sector, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the prime minister called for the world to take immediate action as Afghanistan was heading towards chaos, reported Geo News.