ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated that Pakistan will support the Afghan people in every possible way to avert the humanitarian crisis.
The premier made the remarks while chairing the second meeting of the apex committee on Afghanistan yesterday.
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Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Adviser on Finance Shaukat Tarin, Adviser Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yousaf and senior civil and military officers also attended the meeting.
PM Imran expressed the hope that the world would not repeat the mistake of disengaging with Afghanistan and urged the international community to support the vulnerable people of Afghanistan.
He also highlighted that Pakistan had already committed to immediate relief of in-kind humanitarian assistance worth Rs5billion.
The apex committee was briefed that as per PM directions, the facility of free Covid-19 vaccination for all Afghans entering Pakistan from land borders was being continued. The process of obtaining Pakistani visas had been simplified for Afghans.
PM Imran also instructed that humanitarian organizations wishing to work from Pakistan to support efforts in Afghanistan should be facilitated as Pakistan had already committed to being the air and land bridge for humanitarian support to Afghanistan.
Participants of the apex committee again expressed concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and emphasized that Pakistan will not abandon Afghans in their time of need.
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On December 19, Pakistan is hosting an extraordinary session of OIC Foreign Ministers in Islamabad to highlight the plight of vulnerable Afghan people in these testing times and to discuss ways for helping them.
