Islamabad, 7 December 2021 (TDI): Pakistan’s Foreign Minister (FM), Shah Mehmood Qureshi, held a press conference earlier today. The press conference announced that Pakistan will host the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).
The session will convene to reflect on the Afghanistan issue. The event will take place on 19 December 2021 in Islamabad.
During the press conference, FM Qureshi also highlighted recent developments related to Afghanistan in his press brief.
#OICInPakistan #OIC4AFG #Pakistan https://t.co/JIk1w5pV5q
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) December 7, 2021
Pakistan’s Diplomatic Engagements focusing Afghanistan
The Foreign Minister said that he visited Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran after 15 August. Moreover, Pakistan has been able to create a 6 member platform of neighboring countries.
These states neighbor Afghanistan. Further, they share common concerns related to Afghanistan. China collaborated to form this platform and is also a party. The platform aims to create a forum for negotiations about the situation in Afghanistan. Also, it intends to explore opportunities after peace is restored.
The Foreign Minister also highlighted that Pakistan’s timely diplomatic hustle has been a success. Moreover, the International Community has been convinced that Afghans must not be abandoned at this moment.
Secondly, recognition of the Afghan government may come forth later but prompt engagement is beneficial for all. He mentioned ambassadors and delegations that have been already engaging with Kabul and welcomed these engagements.
Agenda of the Session
The Foreign Minister expressed his happiness over hosting the extraordinary session. He pressed that the developing situation in Afghanistan will be the main focus. Pakistan aims to prevent a humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan.
He added that abandoning Afghanistan today will lead to a humanitarian emergency. Further, this can create a refugee crisis. Moreover, this would be a difficult situation for the countries neighboring Afghanistan.
🇵🇰 is looking forward to hosting 1️⃣7️⃣th Extraordinary Session of @OIC_OCI Council of Foreign Ministers in #Islamabad 🎬👇🏽. #OIC4Afg#OICinPakistan pic.twitter.com/sSiPrELOnM
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) December 7, 2021
Foreign Minister Qureshi also added, “We must learn from history and not repeat the mistakes that were made in the past.”
Reflecting on the impact of the turmoil in Kabul on Pakistan, the Foreign Minister stated the country is currently hosting 3 million Afghan refugees. If the situation worsens in neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistan will be under immense pressure. Pakistan’s resources will not be able to bear another wave of immigrants
Additionally, Pakistan’s ambassadors in the Muslim countries have been engaging with host diplomats. This is to invite them to the extraordinary summit being held.
Pakistan has been continuously advocating that the international community must not undermine the human situation in Afghanistan
