ISLAMABAD: Foreign diplomats and foreign ministers have started to arrive here in the federal capital to attend the extraordinary OIC Summit on Afghanistan.
In this regard, Saudi delegates reached Islamabad on Friday to attend an extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled to take place on December 19, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
The moot was proposed by Saudi Arabia last month, following which Pakistan had welcomed the move and offered to host the session.
A delegation, comprising Saudi Arabia’s Afghan affairs department head Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Saud al-Kabir and Prince Jiluwi bin Turki, arrived in Islamabad on Friday morning. The delegates were received by Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al Malki and senior officials from the Foreign Office (FO).
Separately, the FO also welcomed Islamic Development Bank (IDB) President Dr Mohammed bin Sulaiman Al Jasser.
Upon reaching Islamabad, the IDB president commended Pakistan bringing OIC
countries at one platform for stability in Afghanistan.
Speaking to state-run Radio Pakistan at Islamabad International Airport, he acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts for extending “every possible assistance to Afghanistan”.
All OIC countries held Pakistan’s contribution in this regard in high esteem, Al Jasser said, adding that the participation of OIC ministers in the upcoming conference is an expression of their resolve for peace in Afghanistan.
OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha had reached also Islamabad on Thursday night to attend the summit. He was welcomed by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib.
Taha had said on the occasion that the OIC session would provide an opportunity to Muslim countries to discuss ways to help Afghan people, who are facing a looming humanitarian crisis.
According to Radio Pakistan, he said it is high time that Muslim countries consider ways to help their Afghan brethren at this critical time.
He also appreciated Pakistan’s role in facilitating the evacuation of foreigners from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in Kabul and expressed the hope that Islamabad would continue to play a positive role in helping the people of Afghanistan.
The OIC secretary general met Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday, with the latter tweeting: “A pleasure to welcome OIC Secretary General H.E Hissein Brahim Taha to Pakistan. I look forward to working closely for the success of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the CFM on Afghanistan.”
Earlier in the day, the foreign minister also held a meeting with media persons to discuss the OIC summit.
He said in a tweet that he has held a “very constructive session with people from Pakistan’s media fraternity, discussing the upcoming 17th extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers”.
“Together we must draw the world’s attention to act on the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,” Qureshi asserted.
He told media persons that the Afghan delegation attending the moot would be led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West would also attend the summit.
The foreign minister said the world must not abandon Afghanistan, warning that if a humanitarian crisis is not averted in the war-torn country, its economy would collapse.
He further stated that in case of a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the country’s neighbours, including Pakistan, and European Union states would have to prepare for another influx of refugees.
Qureshi said Pakistan is playing its role in providing assistance to Afghanistan and urging other countries to do the same.
In this regard, he highlighted that 75 percent of Afghanistan’s budgetary requirements are met via external support and now that Afghan assets have been frozen, the world needs to revisit its approach.
“Why should Afghan women and children suffer?” he remarked.
He added that the Afghan government is ready to reopen schools in the country but lacks resources to pay salaries to its employees.
“We are expecting some financial support from OIC member states,” he added.
Qureshi announced that a meeting of Troika Plus – comprising Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States – P5 countries and Germany, Japan, Italy and Australia would also be held in Islamabad to discuss the Afghan situation.
A formal announcement for the OIC moot was made by Foreign Minister Qureshi on December 4, who had said that the purpose of the summit is to avert a humanitarian crisis rearing its head in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal.
Addressing a press conference, he had said the session would draw world leaders’ attention towards the fact that a lack of prompt response would lead to food shortages for some 22.8 million people and affect about 3.2 million children with malnutrition in Afghanistan.
He had added that the conference would help mobilise resources to support Afghanistan.
The foreign minister had said the upcoming extraordinary session of the OIC is being held in Pakistan after a gap of 41 years, for which the special representatives of P5 countries, vice-president of European Union, and representatives of relevant UN agencies and the World Bank have also been invited.
“Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia have also been invited to help develop an international consensus on bringing Afghanistan out of crisis,” he had said.
The foreign minister had further stated that Pakistan would invite a high-level delegation from Afghanistan so that they could engage and be engaged by the world leaders to know about ground realities.
