One of the country’s most senior officials stated on Wednesday that Pakistan is eager to assist the Afghan people in overcoming their economic difficulties.
Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan, who presided over a high-level conference to explore bilateral economic cooperation with Afghanistan, emphasized the significance of bilateral economic aid for Afghanistan in the context of the current circumstances.
It was also discussed that in order to save the lives and livelihoods of the Afghan people, immediate technical and financial assistance on a humanitarian basis is required on an urgent basis.
Pakistan has already completed 20 projects totaling $148.35 million in various sectors, including education, health care, and infrastructure. Nine other projects totaling $221.83 million are now being carried out in Afghanistan, according to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
According to him, Pakistan also grants 3,000 Allama Muhammad Iqbal scholarships to Afghan students studying a variety of subjects.
Syed Fakhar Imam, Minister for National Food Security and Research, expressed concern about reports of a major food crisis affecting more than 14 million Afghans, saying the situation is “alarming.”
In expressing his concern over the situation, the minister emphasized the importance of providing assistance and solidarity from the international community to the people of Afghanistan. He also expressed his hope that the situation would improve.
Governor of the SBP, Reza Baqir, gave a number of solutions for assisting Da Afghanistan Bank (the central bank) in maintaining smooth operations, as well as for achieving price stability and assisting in the management of economic volatility.
Moeed W Yusuf, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security and Strategic Policy Planning, has stated that a concerted effort is required in order to avoid resource duplication.
He stated that, in accordance with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s directions, the National Security Division has begun conversations with key stakeholders in order to develop acceptable policy choices.
It was noted by the participants that the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) had put out considerable effort to organize the conference in order to engage in meaningful dialogue with all of the relevant parties.
The meeting was attended by Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd), chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), as well as other top officials.