KARACHI: Pakistan will next month host an ‘extraordinary meeting’ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers to assess a growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Pakistani Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain announced on Tuesday.
Pakistan had endorsed an initiative by Saudi Arabia to request an ‘extraordinary session’ of the OIC on Afghanistan, and offered to host the conference next month.
On Monday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan fully endorsed the Saudi initiative and wanted to host the meeting in Islamabad on December 17, 2021.
Speaking to the media after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Hussain confirmed that the meeting would be held in Pakistan.
“This meeting is now being held in Pakistan with God’s will,” he said.
Afghanistan has been plunged into crisis by the abrupt end of billions of dollars in foreign assistance, following the collapse of the Western-backed government and return to power of the Taliban in August.
Hussain also said all formalities had been completed for the transfer of a $4.2 billion financial package for Pakistan from Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, Pakistan’s central Bank signed an agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to receive $3 billion, which will be placed in the SBP’s account with the aim to improve foreign exchange reserves. Another $1.2 billion will come in the form of deferred oil payments.
Hussain said the support from Saudi Arabia would bring stability to the Pakistani currency, which hit an all-time low against the greenback on Monday.
“With this the value of the dollar against the Pakistani rupee will hopefully go down,” he said.
