Islamabad, Aug 26 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday called upon the international community to help Afghanistan achieve peace after the decades of turmoil the country has suffered.

"The world should try its best to bring peace in Afghanistan. There has been conflict there for 40 years. Their people have faced such hardships. It is time now that the world help Afghanistan achieve peace," Khan said.

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He was addressing a special ceremony organised here to share the three-year performance of his government.

Khan said that three years ago Pakistan's economy was about to collapse but the situation was saved due to the support of three friendly countries.

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"The last three years were very difficult...the economy was on verge of collapse when we came into power and inherited a huge current account deficit of $20 billion," Khan said.

"If Saudi Arabia, China and the UAE had not helped us at the time, the rupee would have declined further and caused us some real damage,” he said.

Khan went on to add that through sheer hard work and dedication after his government got power, the country has been put on the path to progress and the current account deficit was reduced to USD 1.8 billion.

"Our foreign currency reserves were USD 16.4 billion when we assumed power and today they are at USD 27 billion. Our tax collection was Rs 3,800 billion three years ago and now it has reached Rs 4,700 billion,” he said.

Khan also launched a performance report called Report 2018-21 which has been compiled by the Ministry of Information. The 251-page document outlines the achievements of 44 public bodies through infographics and relevant facts.

In his address, Khan said the World Economic Forum has praised Pakistan for its handling of Covid-19, and the Economist acknowledged Pakistan for being one of three countries that effectively tackled the coronavirus.

Khan also mentioned tension with India after the Pulwama terror attack. "I appreciate our army and air force. As they (Indian fighter jets) came into our territory and launched an offensive, we realised the [power] of our army," he said.

Khan said corruption was a big issue for the developing world, including Pakistan, as billions of dollars were siphoned off to the rich countries by the corrupt mafia ruling the poor countries.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)