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Imran Khan calls for urgent action in order to avoid ‘chaos’ in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan warned on Sunday the situation in Afghanistan could lead to the biggest “man-made disaster” and that the country is “heading for chaos”.
Addressing delegates attending the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, Khan urged the international community to take immediate action.
“Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos. Any government when it cannot pay salaries to public servants, doctors and nurses is going to collapse. But chaos suits no one. It certainly does not suit the United States,” the prime minister added.
According to Pakistan’s the Tribune, Khan also said under the current circumstances the Afghan government is unable to fight terrorism, and that other countries may face a spillover impact.
Khan added that the situation in Afghanistan was due to years of corrupt government, suspension of foreign aid, freezing of foreign assets and a dysfunctional banking system, which, he said, could lead to the collapse of any state.
He said if the world failed to act timely, it will lead to the “biggest man-made disaster.”
Mechanism proposed
Pakistan also shared a six-point strategy to address Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, food security, and economic revival.
The strategy, proposed by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who chaired the meeting, also proposed creating a mechanism within the OIC countries for sustainable humanitarian and financial support to the Afghanistan government.
According to Qureshi, the gathering of OIC leaders at short notice reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
Twenty foreign ministers and 10 deputy foreign ministers from across the Muslim world attended Sunday’s session. In total however, 70 delegates participated at the meeting, which was convened by Saudi Arabia and hosted by Pakistan.
Secretary-General of the OIC Hissein Brahim Taha also delivered a speech and said: “We urge the Member States and OIC institutions to provide humanitarian assistance through the OIC Mission in Kabul.”
He also called on all Afghan parties to “put the interests of their people first, protect their lives, keep away from violence and bring lasting peace in fulfilment of their aspirations and hopes for stability, decent living and prosperity”.
Taha said the OIC calls for promoting “the role of the OIC Mission in Kabul, providing it with financial, human and logistical resources to enable it to deliver its full responsibility of coordinating humanitarian and development aid operations for the Afghan people.
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West also confirmed his attendance in a tweet and said the meeting was a “timely” initiative.
West said the US is following a “clear-eyed policy” with the Islamic Emirate and that the people of Afghanistan remain the focus of the US. “While we continue clear-eyed diplomacy with the Taliban (IEA) – on human rights, terrorism, and educational access, among many other issues – the Afghan people will remain at the center of our considerations,” he said.
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Mullah Baradar discusses creation of railway with Kazakh deputy PM
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs has met with Erik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and discussed the establishment of a railway network from Kazakhstan to Pakistan through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the deputy PM’s office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Baradar emphasized the need to sign agreements to solve the banking problems of traders from both countries, the creation of Afghan-Kazakh joint companies, and the facilitation of visas for Afghan traders.
According to the statement, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said that the Kazakh government intends to establish a joint chamber of industry and commerce and a joint trade and labor group between the two countries, and is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in the sectors of e-governance, industry, higher education, education, health, and banking.
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Iran, Pakistan leaders raise concerns over ‘terrorist groups’ in Afghanistan
Following a two-day official visit to Pakistan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to further expand commercial and economic cooperation and transform the common border of the two countries from a “border of peace” to “border of prosperity”.
The two leaders also strongly condemned aggressions and crimes of Israel in Gaza, and demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged people of Gaza.
Numerous other issues were also discussed but on the topic of Afghanistan, they jointly declared their commitment to the development of Afghanistan as a peaceful, united, independent country free from the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.
According to the statement the two countries pointed out that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan is a serious threat to the security of the region and the world.
The two sides stressed their desire to strengthen cooperation in the field of fighting terrorism and ensuring security and creating a united front against terrorism.
They also discussed the importance of coordinating regional and international efforts to ensure security and stability in the region.
“While respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the two sides recognized that increasing participation of all strata of Afghans in basic decision-making will lead to the strengthening of peace and stability in this country,” the statement read.
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Over 1,000 Afghan refugees forced out of Pakistan in one day
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) says over 1,000 Afghan migrants were forcibly returned from Pakistan on Tuesday through Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar province, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that based on information provided by the Spin Boldak Kandahar border command, these returnees comprised 191 families, totalling 998 people.
In addition, three migrants released from Pakistani prisons were also returned, according to the statement.
The statement added that after registering the returnees, the refugees were referred to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Each family received 10,000 afghanis – paid to them by the Islamic Emirate.
In another statement, the ministry said that 2,783 migrants living in Iran voluntarily and forcibly returned to the country during this week.
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