Pakistan welcomes Security Council resolution to ease flow of aid to Afghanistan

Islamabad: Pakistan has welcomed the adoption of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that facilitates humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, which is on the brink of economic collapse.

The UNSC resolution 2615 has reaffirmed that the provision of humanitarian and other assistance to the people of Afghanistan is not a violation of the Security Council sanctions regime. The UNSC resolution stated that “payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources, and the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of such assistance or to support such activities are permitted”.

Pakistan Foreign Office lauded the timely move and said that the UNSC resolution “is a step in the right direction towards helping the Afghan people in dire need ... and reflects the sense of urgency felt by the international community to help the Afghan people.”

Nearly 23 million Afghans are now facing hunger and 1 million children are at risk of dying unless they receive immediate treatment for malnutrition, according to UN estimates.

The UN statement comes after the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) pledged to help the people of Afghanistan by setting up a humanitarian trust fund at the 17th extraordinary session of foreign ministers of OIC in Islamabad on December 19. Pakistan urged that “pathways should now be found towards revitalizing of the Afghan economy and unfreezing of the assets that rightfully belong to the Afghan people” - a demand stressed during the OIC meeting.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan had stated that sanctions should not prevent the international community from providing humanitarian and other essential aid to the people of Afghanistan. Pakistan hopes that the international community, especially the donor countries, UN Agencies, humanitarian organizations, international financial institutions and other emergency relief providers, “will act swiftly and with determination, to provide all possible assistance to the people of Afghanistan.”

US thanked Pakistan and OIC for taking lead

Meanwhile, US State Secretary Antony Blinken thanked Pakistan for hosting the extraordinary session of OIC and inviting the global community to facilitate aid for the people of Afghanistan. “The OIC extraordinary session on Afghanistan is a prime example of our collective determination and action to help those most in need,” he said.

The OIC session, held in Islamabad, was attended by envoys from 57 Islamic nations as well as UN, EU, US, and UK special envoys. The OIC, which is the second largest organization after the UN, in its communiqué agreed to “play a leading role in the delivery of humanitarian and development aid to the people of Afghanistan.”