Pak PM Khan urges international community to stay engaged to support Afghan people economically

Islamabad, August 18

Asserting that Pakistan is reaching out to all Afghan leaders for a peaceful settlement of the current crisis in the neighbouring nation, Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the international community to stay engaged, particularly to support the people of the war-ravaged nation economically.

The Prime Minister’s Office in a late night statement on Tuesday said Khan received a telephone call from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the two leaders exchanged views on the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan is reaching out to all Afghan leaders,” Khan told Merkel and urged that “the international community must also stay engaged, particularly to support the people of Afghanistan economically”.

Khan also underscored the immense importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan for Pakistan and the region, stressing that safety and security as well as protection of the rights of all Afghans was critically important, the statement said.

Khan underlined that an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward to resolve the Afghan crisis. He said that Pakistan is facilitating evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organisations from Afghanistan.

Merkel was the third European leader to call Khan to discuss the Afghan crisis. Earlier, Khan received telephone calls from his British counterpart Boris Johnson and Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Both the calls focused on the evolving situation in Afghanistan. PTI