Pakistan calls for saving 97% Afghans on brink of poverty

Recalling warnings by global agencies, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asserted on Wednesday that 97 per cent of the Afghan population would plunge into poverty in the next six months if immediate measures were not taken, Radio Pakistan reported.

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Pakistan is hosting an extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on December 19 in the federal capital. 

Chairing a meeting in Islamabad to review the arrangements of the moot, Qureshi called for taking immediate decisions to avert a dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

FM Qureshi warned that the humanitarian crisis in the neighbouring country could worsen if seriousness was not demonstrated on the matter.

He noted that the economic collapse of Afghanistan was evident, alerting that the situation would not just impact Pakistan but the entire region.

The OIC meeting, being held in Pakistan after 41 years, would discuss the course of action to deal with the impending humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

OIC members, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and representatives of the United Nations (UN) agencies and European countries will attend the session.

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The foreign minister remained confident that the OIC meeting would provide an opportunity to find ways of bringing stability to Afghanistan.