ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has effectively vaccinated over 100,000 people travelling from across Afghan borders against COVID-19 since November last year.
This was disclosed during the meeting of Afghan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Cell (AICC) chaired by National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf. The meeting took a review of progress made under the Afghan humanitarian assistance package announced by Prime Minister lmran Khan.
The meeting was apprised that 51,609 and 55,014 people had been vaccinated at Torkham and Chaman border crossings respectively. The Ministry of National Health Services pledged over 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the purpose, it added.
During an earlier meeting of the AICC, It was decided that NSA Moeed Yusuf would visit Afghanistan amid tensions along the Pak-Afghan border. A meeting of the AICC presided by National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser took the decision but no official date was given.
“A senior delegation of Pakistani officials, headed by the NSA, is scheduled to visit Afghanistan soon for further engagement with the Afghan government on all assistance-related prospects,” a statement said.
The NSA gave a detailed presentation about the progress made so far on various initiatives undertaken by the forum to facilitate the process of humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan.
The NA speaker was told that the Rs5 billion assistance package announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan included the immediate supply of food commodities, life-saving drugs, winter supplies and shelter.
Qaiser appreciated the AICC for its well-coordinated efforts to help the neighbouring country in dealing with the crisis. He stressed that the world must not abandon the people of Afghanistan in their time of need.
He said that peace and stability in Afghanistan offered enormous opportunities not only to the Afghan people but also to Pakistan in terms of trade and regional connectivity.
