FM Qureshi urges world to engage Afghan govt to avert human crisis

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi has once again urged the international community to engage with the Afghanistan interim government to avert the human crisis.

Addressing a Troika Plus Meeting in Islamabad, FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi said nobody wishes to see a relapse into civil war; no one wants an economic collapse that will spur instability; everyone wants terrorist elements operating inside Afghanistan to be tackled effectively and; we all want to prevent a new refugee crisis.

The minister said all of us have common concerns related to Afghanistan and also have a shared interest in the country’s peace and stability. And to bring that about, is a shared responsibility.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed confidence that Troika Plus’s engagement with the new Afghan government will help consolidate peace and stability, promote sustainable economic development and help constrict space for terrorist outfits operating from and within Afghanistan.

FM said Afghanistan stands at the brink of an economic collapse. It is, therefore, imperative for the international community to buttress provision of humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis. He said health, education and municipal services require urgent attention.

He said being an immediate neighbor, Pakistan has a direct stake in Afghanistan’s peace and stability.

He said located next door, we have borne the brunt of four decades of conflict and instability in the shape of refugees, drugs and terrorism.

FM Qureshi said I reaffirm my Prime Minister’s resolve to help Afghanistan on its path towards peace, progress and prosperity.