Islamabad, Dec 23 (PTI) Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the adoption of a resolution by the UN Security Council that permits the flow of humanitarian and other aid into Afghanistan, saying it was a step in the right direction and should be followed with revitalising the war-torn country’s economy and unfreezing of its assets.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution clearing the way for aid to reach the people of Afghanistan in desperate need of basic support, while preventing funds from falling into the hands of the Taliban.
The resolution, put forward by the US, passed after Security Council members, including veto-wielding China and Russia, had objections to a draft version that was circulated earlier this week.
The resolution comes at a critical time, and reflects the sense of urgency felt by the international community to help the Afghan people, who have suffered immensely due to decades of conflict, the Foreign Office here said in a statement.
It said that the same sentiment was also reflected in the resolution adopted unanimously by the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers hosted by Pakistan last week.
The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), chaired by Pakistan, unequivocally calls for swift roll out of all possible humanitarian, recovery, reconstruction, development, technical and material assistance to Afghanistan, the statement said.
Terming the resolution passed by the UN Security Council a step in the right direction towards helping the Afghan people in dire need, the Foreign Office said that as called for by the OIC, pathways should now be found towards revitalising of the Afghan economy and unfreezing of the assets that rightfully belong to the Afghan people, it said.
The Taliban-led Afghanistan government has asked the US to unfreeze the country’s assets worth over USD 9 billion and lift the sanctions on its banks, citing the hardships faced by the people ahead of harsh winter.
The US froze over USD 9 billion of assets of the Afghan Central Bank after the Taliban insurgents seized power in the war-torn country in mid-August.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his keynote address to the OIC CFM, had stated that sanctions should not prevent the international community from providing humanitarian and other essential assistance to the people of Afghanistan, the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan hopes that the international community, especially the donor countries, UN agencies, humanitarian organisations, international financial institutions and other emergency relief providers, will act swiftly and with determination, to provide all possible assistance to the people of Afghanistan, it said.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said on Wednesday that the country supported the resolution to grant exemption from sanctions for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
It is important that assistance be scaled up urgently and unhindered access be provided to the UN and other agencies. In this context, India has supported the call of the international community that access to humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan should be direct and without any hindrance.
Humanitarian assistance should be based on the principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence and disbursement of the aid should be non-discriminatory and accessible to all irrespective of ethnicity, religion, or political belief, he said.
The assistance should reach the most vulnerable first, including women, children and minorities, Tirumurti said.
At the same time, this Council should equally exercise its oversight on the delivery of assistance as well as guard against any possible diversion of funds. This is essential since any diversion or misuse can be counterproductive, he said.
Afghanistan has been under Taliban rule since August 15 when the Afghan hardline militant group ousted the elected government of President Ashraf Ghani and forced him to flee the country and take refuge in the UAE.