ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan forewarned the global community stating that Afghanistan could potentially become the biggest man-made crisis in the world if it (world) did not act now.
PM Khan stated this while delivering the keynote address today at the 17th extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers at the Parliament House in Islamabad. Diplomats from 57 Islamic countries as well as observer delegations are participating in today’s session. Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was the last to speak before the televised portion of the event concluded, began his speech by welcoming the participants to OIC meeting in Pakistan.
“Forty one years ago, an extraordinary session of the OIC was held in Pakistan to discuss the situation in Afghanistan,” he told the gathering, which also included Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi alongside delegates from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and UN.
PM Imran said no other country had suffered as much as Afghanistan, adding that even before the Taliban seized control, half of the population was below the poverty line. He said that 75 per cent of the country’s budget was also supported by foreign aid.
PM Imran said that the OIC also had a religious duty to help the Afghan brothers. Specifically addressing the United States, the prime minister said that Washington must delink the Taliban government from the 40 million Afghan citizens.
“They have been in conflict with the Taliban for 20 years but this [concerns] the people of Afghanistan,” he said, adding that it was important to take immediate action.
He noted that the Taliban had to fulfill the commitments they had made to the international community, which included forming an inclusive government and ensuring women’s rights.
“However, the idea of human rights is different in every society,” he said, giving the example of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders the war-torn country.
“The city culture is completely different from the culture in rural areas […] we give stipends to the parents of the girls so that they send them to school. But in districts bordering Afghanistan, if we are not sensitive to the cultural norms, then they won’t send them to school despite receiving double the amount. We have to be sensitive about human rights and women rights,” he said.
He reiterated that Afghanistan was headed for chaos unless the world took immediate action. Such a situation will not suit the US because “chaos means the inability to fight terrorism,” he said, adding that Pakistan also faced a threat from ISIL (Daesh).
PM Imran said that Pakistan was currently housing over three billion refugees, adding that country was also providing shelter to more than 200,000 refugees who had overstayed their visas.
“The situation in Afghanistan means they can’t go back. We are already suffering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are not in a position to deal with a influx of refugees.”
He questioned how poorer countries, that were still struggling to get their economic back up, would be able to cope with an influx of refugees.
Addressing the participants, the premier said he was impressed by the suggestions put forward by Islamic development banks for providing immediate assistance.
“I look forward to the fact that you will come up with a road map by the end of this evening,” he said, reiterating that “chaos in Afghanistan suited no one”.
