Afghan crisis was discussed at an extraordinary meeting of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OCI), in Islamabad.
Pakistan warned this Sunday, December 19, that if Afghanistan’s economy continued to sink there would be “serious consequences” for the international community and asked world leaders to dialogue with the Taliban leaders to avoid a humanitarian crisis.
At the opening of an extraordinary meeting of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi estimated that the worsening of the crisis could lead to severe famine, new refugee flows and the rise of extremism.
“We cannot ignore the danger of a complete economic collapse,” he warned representatives of the 57 OIC countries, including his Taliban counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi, as well as delegates from the United States, China, Russia, the European Union and the UN.
This meeting is the first major gathering on Afghanistan since the fall of the old regime, supported by Washington, in mid-August and the coming to power of the Taliban.
Since then, billions of dollars in assistance and resources have been frozen by the international community.
On the eve of a harsh winter, the UN has warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world’s worst humanitarian emergency, short of food, fuel and money. The World Food Program (WFP) warned of the arrival of an “avalanche of famine”.
Minister Says Distinguishing Between “Afghans and Taliban”
For his part, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the Taliban had to be distinguished from ordinary Afghans.
“I am specifically addressing the United States to tell them that they have to differentiate between the government of Afghanistan and the 40 million Afghan citizens,” he declared, “even if they have been in conflict with the Taliban for 20 years.”
He also called for recognition by the Taliban authorities not necessarily based on Western ideals of human rights. “Each country is different (…) The idea that each society has of human rights is different,” he said.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban government, and diplomats face the delicate task of channeling aid to Afghanistan without strengthening radical Islamists.
On Sunday, almost all the delegates who spoke at the beginning of the meeting insisted on the need to protect the rights of minorities and authorize women and girls to work and study.
Although the Taliban have vowed to take a less harsh line than when they ruled from 1996 to 2001, women are still excluded from public jobs and much of secondary schools for girls remain closed.
The previous Taliban regime was only recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The OIC meeting is not expected to lead to the international recognition that Islamists aspire to.
Instead, Qureshi claimed that the organization would examine a plan to aid the country that would involve the Taliban authorities, to reduce pressure against the country.
The program would include coordinating aid, increasing investments, helping to rebuild Afghan institutions and proposing experts to manage the economy. (I)
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