Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq emphasised on Wednesday the need for extending humanitarian support to Afghanistan, saying that the international community “must step up efforts” for the purpose, according to a statement issued by the envoy after the third session of the Moscow talks on Afghanistan.
“After all these years, the people of Afghanistan need and deserve peace, progress and prosperity. And the international community must generously help them to walk on that path,” the statement quoted him as saying at the meeting.
Ambassador Sadiq conveyed to the other participants of the meeting, including a Taliban delegation, that peace in Afghanistan would benefit the entire region in terms of stability, secure borders, enhanced connectivity, return of refugees and countering terrorism, the statement said.
It added that the envoy emphasised that continuing aid and economic assistance to Afghanistan was important to avert a humanitarian and financial crisis in the war-torn country.
He reiterated Pakistan’s firm belief that peace went hand in hand with prosperity and economic stability and highlighted that “Pakistan’s constructive role in [the] Afghan peace process is well-recognised and acknowledged by the international community.”
The ambassador thanked Russia for hosting the third round of the talks, which was attended by China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and a high-level Afghan delegation, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said the Taliban delegation had met the special representative of India for Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan on the sidelines of the Moscow talks.
“The delegation of the Islamic Emirate met with the Special Representative of India for Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he tweeted in Pashto