Afghanistan on brink of economic collapse, warns Pakistan
The Hindu
‘International community must urgently resume funding and provide humanitarian assistance’
Afghanistan is on the and the international community must urgently resume funding and provide humanitarian assistance, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister warned on Thursday.
The statement came as U.S., Chinese, Russian and Taliban diplomats met in Islamabad. Shah Mehmood Qureshi spoke at the opening of the so-called “troika plus” meeting, which included Thomas West, the new U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan. The delegates also met later on Thursday with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
“Today, Afghanistan stands on the brink of an economic collapse,” Mr. Qureshi said, adding that any further downward slide would “severely limit” the new Taliban Government’s ability to run the country. “It is, therefore, imperative for the international community to buttress provision of humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis.”