The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has thanked Pakistan for providing “exceptional assistance” in evacuating its staff from Kabul, a little over a week after the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital last week.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva took to Twitter to say that Pakistan’s efforts at the highest levels were “absolutely critical” to the evacuation of IMF staff and their families from Afghanistan.
“My heartfelt thanks to @ImranKhanPTI for Pakistan’s exceptional assistance in very difficult circumstances!” she tweeted.
Pakistan has been issuing visas and safely evacuating diplomatic staff and foreign journalists, among others, from Afghanistan on an emergency basis after the Taliban took over the Afghan capital last Sunday.
A few days ago, Pakistan had protested against the international community for not acknowledging its efforts to safely evacuate people from Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, speaking to Al Jazeera, had said currently Pakistan is engaged in evacuation missions in Kabul which is the immediate challenge for the international community.
The Pakistan Embassy in Kabul is working round the clock with planes flying into the city and getting people out, including diplomatic personnel and staff of international organisations, he said.
“Are we being acknowledged? No. We are not even being mentioned in the list of countries that are helping evacuate people,” he had regretted.
‘At least 1,100 people evacuated’
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Munir Akram told CNN last week that Pakistan was busy flying out diplomats, employees of international agencies, and journalists out of Kabul.
The ambassador had said the Pakistani embassy in Kabul is open and busy processing visa applications of those eligible to travel, while the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was operating multiple flights.
Since Wednesday, 1,100 people had been evacuated, he had said, adding: “Hopefully, we can get out at least 500, 600 each day out of Kabul.”
A number of Afghans working for foreign embassies in Afghanistan have also been evacuated, ambassador Akram had said.
