Afghans longest-suffering people: Pakistan PM

For the first times in the last four decades, there is no conflict in Afghanistan, says the Pakistani prime minister.

Addressing the inaugural session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Islamabad, Imran Khan called the Afghans the longest-suffering people.

In his keynote address on Tuesday, Khan said: “The only danger now is through sanctions and non-recognition, which could cause a humanitarian crisis.”

It was extremely important to stabilise Afghanistan because it was the only way to stop international terrorism from Afghan soil, the premier stressed.

He urged the OIC to encourage the Afghans and woo them into the international community. He believed the people of Afghanistan were strong enough to evolve and go in the right direction.

Earlier, his Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi hailed the OIC as a bridge between Muslim nations and the rest of the world.

The two-day annual meeting of the 57-member Muslim bloc is being held under the theme of ‘Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development’.

The foreign minister asked the OIC — the voice of two billion Muslims — to forge a collective response to the challenges faced by the Ummah.

“More than two-thirds of all refugees worldwide come from five countries: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia,” he pointed out.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, Islamic Development Bank President Dr Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasser also addressed the gathering, which ends today (Wednesday).

A video message from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was shown as well.