Imran for inclusive Af govt

Islamabad, Aug. 26: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday called for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and asked the international community for positive engagement with Kabul as a way forward to avert any humanitarian crisis and ensure peace and stability in the war-ravaged country.

Khan made the comments during his meeting with Executive Director of United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) David Beasley here.

During the meeting, they discussed ways of facilitating the continued provision of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. Khan said that positive engagement of the international community with Afghanistan was the way forward to avert any humanitarian crisis and secure peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He called for the formation of an inclusive government in the strife-torn country after it was taken over by the Taliban on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.

The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US and its allies melted away.

Beasley expressed gratitude to Pakistan for its role in facilitating the work of the World Food Programme in providing food assistance to Afghans.

On Wednesday, Khan received a telephone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two discussed the developments in Afghanistan, underscoring the need for coordinated efforts to tackle the situation.

Pakistan FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi was on a visit to meet leaders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Khan also appreciated the role of WFP as the leading international humanitarian organisation for delivering food assistance in emergencies.