Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday asked the international community to partake in war-torn Afghanistan with positive messaging and productive actions to save it from the economic disaster.

Addressing a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart Sigrid Kaag in Islamabad on Wednesday night, FM Qureshi put the stress on the importance of stabilizing the security situation in Afghanistan, conserving the peace, and avoiding any mass exodus of refugees, Radio Pakistan reported. “Both Pakistan and the Netherlands share a convergence of views on many issues,” he added

While pointing out Pakistan’s facilitation of evacuation operations, the foreign minister said, “Evacuation has almost been done and we will facilitate further if there are some people to leave Afghanistan.”

Qureshi further said that they are looking towards the Taliban, how inclusive they would form the new government in Afghanistan.

The Netherlands foreign minister complimented the Qureshi and said that an inclusive political settlement is essential for a stable and progressive Afghanistan. She said the Netherland is also looking forward to investing in Pakistan to assist job growth in the country. On the other hand, Sigrid Kaag appreciated Pakistan for hosting a large number of Afghan refugees for several decades.

She said the European Union will surely form a new strategy on how to handle the possible risk and continue to build a counter-terrorism strategy to focus on humanitarian needs to ensure that requirements of the people of Afghanistan, women and girls, ethnic minorities, young men and women are met.

She also talked about finding ways to achieve the sustainable development agenda to be present and to continue to invest to ward off any future migration crisis.

Taking to Twitter, the Netherlands foreign minister said, “We also discussed the importance of an inclusive political agreement, continued support for the humanitarian needs of the people of Afghanistan, as well as for the refugee-hosting countries such as Pakistan.”

‘Pakistan hopes a consensus government in Afghanistan’

Two days earlier, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had also met with Shah Mehmood Qureshi to discuss the emerging situation in Afghanistan.

Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad, FM Qureshi had said that Afghanistan was likely to martialize its government in short order.

Qureshi said Pakistan was already hosting three million Afghan refugees, adding that they were being provided with all facilities including health, education or otherwise.