Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi Thursday urged the international community to assist Afghanistan as the country was in dire need of humanitarian and economic assistance.

The president, in a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr, said the long-drawn war in Afghanistan had increased the miseries of the Afghan people.

He said the international community should not abandon Afghanistan alone and continue to provide economic and humanitarian assistance to its people. Welcoming the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the president stated that Pakistan had played a major role in the promotion of peace and reconstruction of Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan was the only country in the world which had hosted over 3.5 million Afghan refugees for the last four decades.

President Alvi said that Pakistan provided Afghan refugees access to health and education facilities, including facilitating them to open bank accounts and engage in commercial activities. He highlighted that the world needed to acknowledge Pakistan’s role in the promotion of peace in Afghanistan and hosting millions of Afghan refugees for the past 40 years.

The president briefed Filippo Grandi about the recent humanitarian assistance and medical supplies being provided by Pakistan to the people of Afghanistan. He also highlighted Pakistan’s efforts in the evacuation of members of international organizations and diplomatic missions from Afghanistan.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees appreciated Pakistan’s role in hosting millions of Afghan refugees and sending humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.