Call to continue Afghan engagement
PAKISTAN URGES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO HELP AFGHANISTAN AVERT A CATASTROPHE
Pakistan has urged the international community to continue its economic engagements with Afghanistan to avert another humanitarian disaster in the region and unblock the Afghan financial assets.
Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, called for the need for extending humanitarian aid and economic support to Afghanistan at the international conference in Moscow attended by officials from key regional countries.
“The International community must not abandon Afghanistan at this critical juncture. Our collective voice should reinforce our message of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan,” he said. Ambassador Sadiq also put emphasis on not allowing Afghan soil to be used against any other country. He said that peace in Afghanistan would benefit the entire region in terms of stability, secure borders, enhanced connectivity, return of refugees and countering terrorism.
An unstable Afghanistan is seen as a national security issue. Pakistan, which has hosted over three million refugees for over 40 years, fears that more refugees would come in search of assistance if the international community does not respond to the immediate humanitarian needs of Afghanistan.
The third meeting of the ‘Moscow Format’ hosted by Russia, was attended by China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and a high-level Afghan delegation. At the summit, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, emphasised the need for the formation of an inclusive government to achieve peace and stability and commended the Taliban on their efforts to stabilise the militarypolitical situation.
Qureshi visits Kabul
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi travelled to Kabul yesterday for his first visit to the Afghan capital since the Taliban victory in August, following weeks of tension over transport links between the neighbouring countries.
Qureshi said the two sides held detailed talks on crossborder movement and trade, and that a Taliban delegation would visit Islamabad in the coming days to finalise the resolution of issues.