NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi called upon the international community to support Afghans at a critical juncture through different steps, including unfreezing their assets, as according to him, there is still hope for peace in Afghanistan.
“Afghans have faced war in the last four decades so the international community should not leave Afghans alone now,” said the foreign minister while interacting with the United Nations’s press representatives.
“A peaceful Afghanistan will benefit the whole region. Pakistan wants peace and stability in Afghanistan because if the Afghanistan situation deteriorates, Pakistan will be [the] most affected.”
Qureshi said Pakistan has been hosting more than three million Afghan refugees for the last four decades with limited resources and without financial support from the international community.
Pakistan’s economy can no longer bear the burden of refugees, he added.
Qureshi said his country gave all-out support for the evacuation of citizens, diplomatic staff and media representatives of different countries from Afghanistan.
To address the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Qureshi said the international community must move forward and take steps to ensure the support of Afghans.
The federal minister said Pakistan, like other neighbours, seeks a comprehensive coalition government in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan believes that the reconciliation process in Afghanistan cannot be completed without the formation of a government that has a representation of all political parties.
