PM Imran okays Rs 5bn humanitarian aid for Afghanistan

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Mon approved Rs5 billion humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, besides permitting transportation of Indian food help for the war-worn country through Asian nation.

The decision was taken at the primary meeting of the apex committee of the recently established Afghanistan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Cell (AICC). PM Khan chaired the meeting that was attended by government minister sovereign Mahmood Qureshi, authority on Finance Shaukat Tarin, Chief of the military workers info Qamar Bajwa, National Security authority Dr Moeed Yousuf and senior civil and military officers.

The PM workplace same that the prime minister “ordered immediate cargo of in-kind humanitarian help price Rs5 billion”.

The aid would come with food commodities together with fifty,000 loads of wheat, emergency medical provides and winter shelters, in step with the PMO. A delegation of health officers from Afghanistan can visit capital of Pakistan later in the week to figure out modalities for Pakistan’s support to Afghanistan’s health sector.

Allows transportation of Indian food help through Asian nation

The assistance approved by the prime minister was earlier declared on October one throughout the visit of FM Qureshi to Kabul for meeting with the Taliban leaders.

Humanitarian provides area unit already being transported from Asian nation to Afghanistan nearly on commonplace since Sept.

United Nations’ Special Representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons had on Th warned that the country was “on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe” with nearly sixty per cent of its of its peoples likely to face perilous level of appetite.

The food emergency is anticipated to irritate over the winter.

The participants of the meeting, whereas expressing concern regarding the deteriorating humanitarian state of affairs in Afghanistan, vowed to not abandon the Afghans in their time of would like.

He declared the government’s call to allow fifty,000 MT of wheat Republic of India had offered to Afghanistan as humanitarian help to travel through Asian nation once finalization of modalities.

“Pakistan also will facilitate the come back of Afghan patients UN agency had gone to Republic of India for medical treatment and area unit stuck there,” he additional same.

While directional the ministries to increase most facilitation to Afghans, the prime minister same that it had been united in theory to scale back tariff and excise tax on key Afghan exports to Asian nation.

This would facilitate support Afghanistan’s economy. Since Taliban takeover in August this year, imports from {Afghanistan|Afghanistan|Islamic State of Afghanistan|Asian country|Asian nation} to {Pakistan|Pakistan|Islamic Republic of Asian nation|West Pakistan|Asian country|Asian nation} area unit over exports from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

Mr Khan schooled that no absolute closures of borders for trade ought to be allowed.

He additional ordered revival of bus company between urban center and town for facilitating cross-border travel. Measures for facilitating visas for Afghanistan were conjointly approved.

The prime minister ordered that the ability of free Covid-19 vaccination for the Afghans getting into Asian nation from land borders be continued . Asian nation has initiated free vaccination of the Afghans since Gregorian calendar month thirteen.

NSA Moeed Yusuf was asked to go to Afghanistan for exploring specific areas wherever immediate capability building support was needed by the Afghans.

Mr Yusuf, UN agency is additionally the caller of AICC briefed the civil and military leadership on this economic state of affairs in Afghanistan and therefore the progress created by the AICC in coordinative national efforts for humanitarian help and border facilitation for Afghans.