To preserve and promote the lofty Islamic values of peace, compassion, tolerance, equality, justice and human dignity, Pakistan is hosting the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) session on December 19 to seek the Muslim world’s support for Afghanistan.

Significance of OIC

According to its charter, the OIC aims at preserving Islamic, social and economic values; promoting solidarity among the member states; increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural, scientific, and political areas; uphold international peace and security; and advance education, particularly in the fields of science and technology.

Alarming situation

Pakistan will host the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation session after 41 years. This will be the second summit, which will be hosted by Pakistan. The first session was held in February 1974 in Lahore.

Since the recent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, the country has been suffering from one of its worst humanitarian crises, including food shortages, mass starvation and a severe drought.

Read more: Catastrophe in the making

Crippling economy is forcing some Afghan families to sell their young girls and many have been forced to take refuge in other countries.

According to the doctors, the Aghan children have been facing severe malnutrition along with life threatening diseases. Reportedly, some countries have also cut-off their aid.

Reports suggest young girls are not permitted to attend schools and the women are not allowed to work.

Consequently, Pakistan decided to discuss the alarming issues with the member states of the OIC.  The international community must take an immediate action to prevent the catastrophe in Afghanistan.

According to Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi, if the world will not pay timely attention, half of Afghanistan’s population, or 22.8 million people, can face food shortage and 3.2 million children may face malnutrition.

“This is the magnitude, which we and the world should understand,” Qureshi said, while talking to the media in Lahore.

Considering the gravity of the situation, he maintained that Pakistan joined the Saudi Arabian initiative to host the international event, realising, if not addressed timely, the situation would have dire consequences for Afghanistan and its neighbours.

Read more: Afghanistan faces ‘unprecedented’ economic shock, says UN

Stressing about the devastating economic conditions of Afghanistan, Qureshi said that the Taliban-owned country could go banckrupt if its frozen assets were not released.

Besides the foreign ministers of the OIC countries, Pakistan had also invited the special representatives of P-5 countries, including the US, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom.

“As Afghanistan was a founding OIC member, it was discussed that the Ummah should make efforts to steer it out of the difficult situation,” the minister said.

Qureshi also highlighted that abandoning Afghanistan would be a historic blunder and the world should learn from the past instead of repeating the same mistakes.

“If timely attention is not paid, a new crisis can emerge, which would bring in instability, leading to beget mass exodus of refugees. We are already hosting three million Afghan refugees and it will be difficult to host anymore. The countries like Iran, Tajikistan, and other bordering areas are also similarly concerned,” he said.

On December 7, Qureshi attended a meeting with Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes at the Egmont Palace and discussed the Afghanistan’s issue among other matters.

“Peace in Afghanistan is vital for prosperity of all. We appreciate [the] EU’s interest in working with the regional platform of neighbouring countries. Pakistan will support the European Union association with this process,” Qureshi tweeted after the meeting.

Read more: FM Qureshi calls for Int’l cooperation with new setup in Afghanistan

He shared with Wilmes the imperative of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan for Pakistan, the region and beyond and the importance of the international community’s engagement with Afghanistan for stabilising the situation, reviving the economy and facilitating lasting peace and stability in the area.

How will Pakistan benefit?

This summit will definitely be beneficial for Pakistan, as it will ameliorate the country’s relationship with Afghanistan and other member states of the OIC.

Moreover, it will create employment opportunities for Pakistanis within all OIC countries and generate investment avenues.

Read more: Afghan currency slides on bank collapse fears

Recently, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Islamabad and Riyadh signed two agreements regarding workers’ recruitment and skills verification of Pakistani workforce.

Impact of OIC summit

When the 57 countries of the world will sit together and chew over the humanitarian crises in the war-torn country, a unanimous resolution might be taken to support the Afghans and help them come out of the misery.