Pakistan to rally Muslim countries to help Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is rallying Muslim countries to assistance Afghanistan stave disconnected an economical and humanitarian catastrophe portion besides cajoling the neighboring country’s caller Taliban rulers to soften their representation abroad.

Several overseas ministers from the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation are gathering successful Islamabad connected Sunday to research ways to assistance Afghanistan portion navigating the hard governmental realities of its Taliban-run government, Pakistan’s apical diplomat said Friday.

The caller Taliban medication successful Kabul has been sanctioned by the planetary community, reeling from the illness of the Afghan subject and the Western-backed authorities successful the look of the insurgents’ takeover successful mid-August.

The OIC gathering is an engagement that does not represent an authoritative designation of the Taliban regime, said Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

He said the connection to the gathering connected Sunday is: “Please bash not wantonness Afghanistan. Please engage. We are speaking for the radical of Afghanistan. We’re not speaking of a peculiar group. We are talking astir the radical of Afghanistan.”

Qureshi said large powers — including the United States, Russia, China and the European Union — volition nonstop their peculiar representatives connected Afghanistan to the one-day summit. Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi volition besides be the conference.

Afghanistan is facing a looming economical meltdown and humanitarian catastrophe successful the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Billions of dollars’ worthy of the country’s assets abroad, mostly successful the U.S., person been frozen and planetary backing to the state has ceased.

The satellite is besides waiting earlier extending immoderate ceremonial designation to the caller rulers successful Kabul, wary the Taliban could enforce a likewise harsh authorities arsenic erstwhile they were successful powerfulness 20 years agone — contempt their assurances to the contrary.

Yet 4 months into Taliban rule, girls are not allowed to be precocious schoolhouse successful astir provinces and though women person returned to their jobs successful overmuch of the wellness attraction sector, galore pistillate civilian servants person been barred from coming to work.

However, information has improved nether the Taliban, with assistance organizations capable to question to astir parts of Afghanistan, including areas that for years were off-limits during the war, said a elder humanitarian authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the authoritative was not authorized to talk publically connected the matter.

The World Health Organization and U.N. agencies person warned of the humanitarian situation facing Afghanistan and its 38 cardinal people. Hospitals are desperately abbreviated of medicines, up to 95% of each households look nutrient shortages, the poorness level is soaring toward 90% and the afghani, the nationalist currency, is successful escaped fall.

Pakistan has been astatine the forefront successful pressing for satellite engagement successful Afghanistan. Qureshi said Friday helium has warned successful talks with galore overseas ministers — including with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken successful Washington — that a full illness successful Afghanistan volition wounded efforts to combat coercion and trigger a monolithic exodus from the country.

Refugees volition go economical migrants, helium added, meaning they would not privation to enactment successful neighboring countries of Pakistan and Iran, but volition effort to scope Europe and North America.

Qureshi besides warned that if Afghans are near without help, militant groups specified arsenic al-Qaida and the determination Islamic State affiliate volition regroup and flourish amid the chaos.

The OIC has leverage due to the fact that of its quality arsenic an Islamic enactment and Qureshi expressed anticipation the acme volition besides beryllium an accidental for the world’s Muslim nations to property upon the Taliban the imperative of allowing girls to be schoolhouse astatine each levels and for women to instrumentality to their jobs successful full.

Michael Kugelman, lawman manager of the Asia Program astatine the Washington-based Wilson center, said OIC nations could bash more, suggesting they enactment done their spiritual scholars and person them interact straight with the Taliban.

For now, it would beryllium hard for the West to prosecute with the Taliban, Kugelman said, adding that specified an enactment would beryllium tantamount to admitting decision successful the 20-year war.

For the Taliban, it would beryllium the “final restitution of being capable to prosecute ... from the standpoint of victor,” helium said.

“The Taliban defeated the West ... their almighty militaries and caused them to endure done a chaotic and humiliating last withdrawal,” helium said. “For the West to crook astir and hide the hatchet with the Taliban, this would magnitude to a legitimization of its defeat.”