OIC Meeting on Afghanistan Planned in Pakistan

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Pakistan is going to host a meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) next month to address the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

This is according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who said in a statement, "We should step up our collective efforts to alleviate the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people."

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and Qureshi said the OIC "must step in to help our Afghan brethren".

The Pakistan offer comes after a request from Saudi Arabia, which currently chairs the 57-member group.

It will likely be the biggest international gathering on Afghanistan since the Taliban's return.

After the Taliban seized power on the heels of a US withdrawal in August, more than half of the country is facing "acute" food shortages.

The prospect of a long hard winter is raising the specter of mass starvation and migration.

Source: AFP