Pak urges international community to provide assistance to Afghanistan

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said Pakistan would continue to facilitate Afghan citizens

Pakistan on Thursday urged the international community to generously provide assistance to Afghanistan, which is facing a "humanitarian crisis".

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said at the weekly briefing that Pakistan as part of international efforts would continue to facilitate Afghan citizens.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is quite big, which has been realised by the international community, as the UN and various countries are coming forward to provide the required assistance to the people of Afghanistan, he said.

The spokesperson said Pakistan has pledged humanitarian assistance worth Rs 5 billion and it also accepted Afghan people's request to let the humanitarian assistance offered by India to pass through Wagah border.

 

Answering another question, he said Pakistan and many other countries have been saying that unfreezing Afghan assets will be an appropriate way of assisting the Afghan people at this point of time.

The US froze over USD 9 billion assets of the Afghan Central Bank after the Taliban insurgents grabbed power in the country in mid-August.

Separately, National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf in an interview with state-run PTV said Pakistan can become a bridge between Afghanistan's interim government and the world.

He urged the world to play its role in helping the people in this difficult time, adding that Pakistan under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan was providing humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country.