World News | Qureshi Asks International Community to Avert Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan to Prevent Terror Groups Gaining Ground

Islamabad, Dec 17 (PTI) Ahead of a key OIC meeting, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday urged the international community to take steps to avert a major humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan, which global terror groups could take advantage of.

More than 24 foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are expected to attend the extraordinary meeting on Sunday in Islamabad.

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“If the attention was not paid to avert the humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan, this will become the largest humanitarian crisis in the world and all the gains of the last 20 years will evaporate,” Qureshi said while talking to the media ahead of the meeting.

Qureshi also warned that international terrorist organisations will take advantage of turmoil in Afghanistan to increase their footprints in the war-ravaged country.

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The US Special Representative on Afghanistan Thomas West will also be in attendance, along with P5 representatives and the special envoy of Germany. Heads of various financial institutions have also been invited.

The acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi, along with his delegation will also be attending the meeting, which will be the biggest international gathering yet on Afghanistan since the Taliban took over Kabul in August this year.

This year's agenda is to avert the imminent humanitarian crisis and the economic collapse of Afghanistan, which, according to the UN, is on the brink of catastrophe in the absence of foreign assistance.

“The extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is aimed at drawing the world's attention to the plight of the Afghan people. The OIC has been supporting the Afghan people over the years,” Qureshi opined.

He asserted that Pakistan and the OIC countries will play a major role in contributing to the capacity building of Afghanistan and called for an urgent need to reboot the country's banking system.

“There is an urgent need to reboot the banking system of Afghanistan as this will be the first big step towards the economic stability of the country,” he said.

Afghanistan's economy is facing a major crisis after the Taliban seized power in Kabul in mid-August amid a chaotic US and NATO troop withdrawal from the war-torn country.

Following hardline Islamists assuming power in Afghanistan, the international community froze billions of dollars' worth of assets abroad and stopped all funding to the country.

Since Pakistan was an immediate neighbour, it is concerned in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan, he said.

The minister said that improving the lives of Afghans was a shared responsibility and Pakistan was playing its role by transporting goods as relief measures to its neighbour.

“Pakistan stands by the Afghan people but it is neither an advocate nor spokesperson for the Taliban. We are only speaking for 38 million Afghan people,” Qureshi explained.

Going forward, Qureshi added that there was an opportunity for ensuring peace in Afghanistan after more than four decades, and it should not be missed, warning that “we should be prepared for a new exodus of refugees which will not just affect Pakistan”.

(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)