Pakistan has strongly called for unfreezing Afghanistan’s financial reserves, estimated at $9.5 billion, that are “critically” needed to revive the country’s war-battered economy and to save lives of millions of suffering Afghans.
“There is no legal justification for depriving the Afghan people of their national assets,” Ambassador Munir Akram told the UN Security Council which met on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
“This money is critically needed to sustain and stabilize and revive the Afghan economy and to save millions of lives of poor and hungry Afghan children, women and men,” the Pakistani envoy added.
“This would be the most effective and generous display of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.” Opening the debate, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Afghanistan was on the brink of collapse, amid a 30 per cent contraction of gross domestic product (GDP). “Afghanistan is hanging by a thread,” the UN chief remarked.
He urged the global community — and the Security Council — to provide resources to prevent the country from deteriorating further.
In his remarks, Ambassador Akram said Pakistan has provided $30 million in food and other assistance, established land and air bridges, opened its borders, and currently supports nearly 4 million Afghan refugees.
Citing the impact of the country’s still-frozen assets, he said that without urgent humanitarian assistance, chaos and conflict could return alongside a massive outflux of refugees, and an escalation of a terrorist threat.
