SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Sunday called upon the international community to support Afghanistan economically to help rebuild one of the world’s poorest states. In a statement on Sunday, SAARC Chamber President Iftikhar Ali Malik said that it is equally essential for the international players and major donors to stay engaged in order to support the people of war torn Afghanistan and restore it’s totally collapsed economy. The Taliban have promised to improve Afghanistan’s economy but the new regime badly needs foreign aid, he said while talking to a delegation of lawyers. He said, “Afghanistan is tremendously dependent on foreign aid which is about 10 times or even more than the Taliban has been able to obtain from its own finance”. He said that aid flow in 2020 represented 42.9 percent of Afghanistan’s $19.8 billion GDP. Afghanistan’s economy was shaped by fragility and aid dependence, he added. Malik said the Afghan economy has taken a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and the new regime of Taliban has acknowledged that it cannot improve the situation without foreign help. He said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also spoken to many countries to work with us on our economy as Afghanistan needs their help. He said peaceful political settlement of Afghanistan is prerequisite for stability in the region. He said Pakistan attaches great importance to Afghanistan as safety and security as well as protection of the rights of all Afghans is critically important. He said that it is high time for all international players and donors to give peace a chance to prevail in Afghanistan to help restore durable tranquility in the region besides de-freezing their donations.