KUALA LUMPUR: The forthcoming Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad on Dec 19 will comprehensively look into the current humanitarian and economic situation of Afghanistan and try to find solutions to these pressing crises, said Pakistan's High Commissioner to Malaysia Amna Baloch.
Briefing the media on the Islamabad meeting here today, Amna said that the focus of the meeting will be about the humanitarian and economic condition of the Afghan people who are in dire situation following acute food shortages and medical supplies.
"The purpose of the meeting is not only to pledge assistance but also device mechanisms to ensure it (the assistance) really reaches the common man," she said in the briefing attended by local and foreign media, at her residence, here.
She explained that the objectives of the meeting are also to express the solidarity of Muslim ummah with Afghan people, and to ensure that the OIC, as the collective voice of the ummah, takes the lead in inviting pledges for humanitarian assistance and establishing mechanism for collection and disbursal of support.
Amna pointed out that the meeting will also be aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Afghanistan that can potentially exacerbate the security situation and spur regional instability, leading to the possibility of mass exodus of refugees and adversely affect international peace and security.
"It is important for the international community to remain engaged with the current Afghan government... not to isolate them, as they are the ones in power today," she said, adding that Pakistan is still hosting some four million Afghan refugees following the Soviet invasion of the war-torn country in December 1979.
Describing the OIC meeting as "a step in the right direction", Amna said that other than the 57 OIC member countries, Pakistan is also inviting other international partners, including the United Nations and the UN Security Council permanent members, namely the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.
"Since Aug 15 this year, Pakistan has engaged in intense diplomatic outreach. Our Prime Minister (Imran Khan) has contacted world leaders. Our message to the international community has been to remain constructively engaged and find ways to alleviate the sufferings of Afghan people. Pakistan has been stressing the need for measures to ease financial and banking restrictions so that humanitarian assistance could flow in an effective manner," Amna said.
Afghanistan, which depends very much on foreign aid, is in crisis following the Taliban takeover on Aug 15 and the freezing of billions of dollars of the Afghan central bank's reserves outside the country.
The high commissioner said that on its part, Islamabad continues to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan comprising essential food items, medical supplies and shelter items, and that "our objective is a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous Afghanistan contributing to regional peace, economic integration and connectivity."
Saudi Arabia, in its capacity as the OIC Summit chair, announced the initiative to convene the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Pakistan welcomed the initiative and offered to host the meeting in Islamabad as announced by its Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Dec. 4.
Amna noted that the first extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, which was held in Islamabad, in January 1980, was also on the situation in Afghanistan at that time. – Bernama