Daily Times

Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan on Tuesday said that Pakistan is keen to support the people of Afghanistan to address their socio-economic challenges.

He said this while chairing a high-level meeting held to discuss the bilateral economic cooperation with Afghanistan.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Security and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed W. Yusuf, Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Reza Baqir, Chairman WAPDA Lt General (retd) Muzammil Hussain and other senior officials.

The minister for economic affairs highlighted the importance of bilateral economic assistance for Afghanistan in the context of the current situation.

It was further discussed that in order to save the lives and livelihood of the Afghan people, immediate technical and financial support is required on a humanitarian basis.

The minister also apprised that Pakistan has already implemented 20 projects costing $148.35 million in various sectors including education, health, and infrastructure while nine other projects costing $221.83 million are under execution in Afghanistan.

Pakistan also provides 3000 Allama Muhammad Iqbal scholarships to Afghan students in various disciplines.

The Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam expressed that reports regarding a severe food crisis for over 14 million Afghan people are alarming.

Expressing his concern over the situation, the minister stressed on the need of support and solidarity of the international community for the people of Afghanistan.

The Governor SBP Reza Baqir presented various options to support Da Afghanistan Bank (Central Bank) for its smooth functioning; and to achieve price stability and help manage economic fluctuations.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed W. Yusuf said that a coordinated effort is the need of the hour to avoid overlapping of resources.

He apprised that on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the National Security Division has also started consultations with various stakeholders for workable policy options.

The participants appreciated the efforts of EAD for arranging the meeting for meaningful consultation with all the relevant stakeholders.