Pakistan is set to host a special meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on December 19, which will focus on ways to help Afghanistan navigate its way out of an emerging humanitarian and economic crisis.
In addition to the members of the OIC, Pakistan media reported that delegations from the US, Russia, Britain, the European Union, the World Bank and humanitarian organizations have also been invited to the conference.
The OIC-led conference will be the biggest international gathering on Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in mid-August on the heels of a US-led foreign troop exit after 20 years.
But, the question arises that does Pakistan want to rally OIC countries to extend assistance to the Taliban? Pakistan has been blamed globally the for burgeoning Afghanistan crisis and helping the Taliban.
Pakistan is rallying 57-member OIC Muslim countries to help Afghanistan stave off a crisis while also cajoling the neighboring country's new Taliban rulers to soften their image abroad.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on December 4 made a formal announcement for the OIC meeting stating that the purpose of the summit was to avert a humanitarian crisis rearing its head in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal.
Addressing a press conference, he had said the session would draw world leaders' attention towards the fact that a lack of prompt response would lead to food shortages for some 22.8 million people and affect about 3.2m children with malnutrition in Afghanistan.
He had added that the conference would help mobilize resources to support Afghanistan.
The foreign minister had said the upcoming extraordinary session of the OIC was being held in Pakistan after a gap of 41 years, reported Dawn.
This is yet another attempt at pushing the interim Afghanistan government towards international recognition.
Meanwhile, Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday left for Pakistan to attend the OIC summit on Afghanistan, local media reported.
"Acting FM Amir Khan Muttaqi and his accompanying delegation left Kabul for Islamabad today to attend the OIC meeting on Afghanistan on Sunday. Talking to reporters at Kabul airport, Muttaqi said no one will be allowed to threaten any country from Afghanistan's territory," Tolo News tweeted.
The OIC session will focus on ways to mobilize support for providing adequate food, medicine, and shelter to millions of people in Afghanistan who are in dire need after the fall of Kabul in mid-August, the Pakistani publication had said.
It has been more than 100 days since the Taliban seized control over Afghanistan but it has not been recognized by any nation of the world yet.
Respect for women and human rights, establishing inclusive government, not allowing Afghanistan to become a safe haven of terrorism are the preconditions for the recognition set by the international community.
The Taliban has so far implemented none of these but has been promising to do so.Afghanistan is facing a looming economic meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Billions of dollars worth of the country's assets abroad, mostly in the US, have been frozen and international funding to the country has ceased.
( With inputs from ANI )
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