PM Imran Khan welcomes UN aid appeal for Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed Wednesday a $5 billion UN funding appeal for Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the war-ravaged country.

“We welcome this UN initiative which has followed Pak-initiated special OIC FMs mtg’s pledged support,” Prime Minister Khan tweeted.

Also Read: UN wants $5 bn aid for Afghanistan in 2022

“I have been making this appeal to int community to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan where the ppl have suffered ravages of 40 yrs of conflict.”

We welcome this UN initiative which has followed Pak-initiated special OIC FMs mtg’s pledged support. I have been making this appeal to int community to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan where the ppl have suffered ravages of 40 yrs of conflicthttps://t.co/NtBzwudLdP

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 12, 2022

In a statement, the global body said a whopping $5 billion was needed for the Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan alone “to pay direct” to health workers and others, not the de facto authorities.

In its biggest-ever single-country appeal, the UN said $4.4 billion (3.9 billion euros) was needed within Afghanistan, while a further $623 million was required to support the millions of Afghans sheltering beyond its borders.

Also Read: COAS calls for mechanism to deliver aid to Afghanistan

The UN said 22 million people inside Afghanistan and a further 5.7 million displaced Afghans in five neighbouring countries needed vital relief this year.