ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Thursday asserted that the Taliban should be given time to form a government in Afghanistan, adding that the world needs to understand the ground realities about Afghanistan.
The minister made these remarks in a meeting with the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, to discuss the issue of Afghan evacuation and aid for the Afghan citizens.
However, the interior minister added that the Taliban must ensure the availability of financial and human resources for governance. Referring to Pakistan’s role in dealing with Afghan crisis, Rashid said Pakistan wishes for durable peace in Afghanistan.
He said that Pakistan was working 24/7 in facilitating the evacuation of Afghan citizens and foreigners present in Afghanistan. “The country has also sent aid in form of food and medicines to Afghanistan on the basis of human empathy and it will continue this aid,” he added.
On the occasion, the UN High Commissioner said Pakistan’s continuous role in hosting and accommodating 3 million Afghan refugees is laudable. “We are grateful to Pakistan for providing security and visa facilities to the UN staff members,” said Grandi.
He further said that the UN will not abandon the Afghan citizens in this crisis and will help them in every possible way. The UN has moved the world nations to provide funds and aid for Afghanistan, he added.
The high commissioner warned of global implications, saying that Afghanistan needs urgent and sustained support from the international community to prevent a larger humanitarian crisis. “The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains desperate,” said Grandi.
“The international community must therefore engage with Afghanistan – and quickly – in order to prevent a much bigger humanitarian crisis that will have not only regional but global implications”, he concluded.
