Kabul – The Pakistani media have reported that Islamabad would host a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers on Afghanistan in a week.
The meeting will be held on December 19, which is aimed at addressing the serious and deteriorating humanitarian situation and preventing the economic crisis in Afghanistan, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry’s statement.
“In addition to the members of the OIC, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, the European Union, the World Bank and representatives of UN-affiliated aid agencies will be invited,” said Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan foreign minister.
The purpose of holding this conference is to draw international attention to the humanitarian crisis, which is neither in the interest of Afghanistan nor the world, Qureshi stressed.
On the other hand, the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan states that the member countries of the OIC, of which Afghanistan is a founding member, as part of the Islamic ummah, have ties of friendship and brotherhood with the people of this country.
“Today more than ever, the people of Afghanistan need the support of the international community, especially the OIC,” the statement said.
“This extraordinary meeting not only provides an opportunity to express the solidarity of the ‘ummah with the people of Afghanistan, however, also to explore practical and tangible steps to help meet the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people,” the statement said.
The statement said that Qatar’s participation, which has played a pivotal role in the recent changes in Afghanistan, was crucial and that Qatar’s participation in the meeting was urgently needed to gain the support of OIC member states and the international community to provide all possible assistance to the Afghan people.
The meeting comes as the United Nations had previously warned that 60 percent of Afghanistan’s population of more than 30 million is facing a hunger crisis and that the situation is getting worse day by day.
Meanwhile, the Taliban welcomed the meeting and called on member states to support and recognize their government.
