ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Pakistan to Egypt Sajid Bilal has said a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Corporation (OIC) hosted by Islamabad later this month would help the Muslim world “express solidarity” with the Afghan people and galvanize international powers in aid of Afghanistan, which is facing an acute humanitarian crisis.
Pakistan will host the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers on December 19 in Islamabad. The meeting’s focus is on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
The United States and other donors cut off financial aid on which Afghanistan became dependent during 20 years of war and more than $9 billion of the country’s hard currency assets were frozen.
The United Nations is warning that nearly 23 million people –- about 55 percent of the population –- are facing extreme levels of hunger, with nearly 9 million at risk of famine as winter takes hold in the impoverished, landlocked country.
“The upcoming CFM would express Muslim Ummah’s solidarity with the Afghan people and would galvanize international support to arrest the fast deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan in the best interest of the people of Afghanistan, the region, and the world at large,” Bilal was quoted by APP news agency as saying at a press briefing on Sunday.
“With the advent of winter, the situation could aggravate the world’s largest humanitarian crisis if left unattended,” Bilal said, adding: “The continued engagement of the international community with Afghanistan was imperative.”
Highlighting Pakistan’s consistent efforts for the Afghan people, the ambassador said the first extraordinary session of the OIC CFM on Afghanistan was also held in Islamabad in the 1980s.
“In recent months, Pakistan’s Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister had extensively engaged with the world leaders to address the humanitarian situation arising in Afghanistan since August this year,” he added.
Last Friday, donors agreed to transfer $280 million from a frozen trust fund to the World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF to support nutrition and health in Afghanistan, the World Bank said as it sought to help a country facing famine and economic freefall.
The World Bank-administered Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund will this year give $180 million to WFP to scale up food security and nutrition operations and $100 million to UNICEF to provide essential health services, the bank said in a statement.
The money would aim to support food security and health programs in Afghanistan as it sinks into a severe economic and humanitarian crisis that accelerated in August when the Taliban overran the country as the Western-backed government collapsed and the last US troops withdrew.
OIC Islamabad meeting to help Muslim world express solidarity with Afghans — envoy
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OIC Islamabad meeting to help Muslim world express solidarity with Afghans — envoy
- Pakistan will host 17th Extraordinary Session of OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers on December 19
- Meeting’s focus is on humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan where 23 million people face extreme hunger
IMF says has made ‘considerable progress’ as Pakistan funding talks continue
- Discussions covered the impact of the Middle East conflict on Pakistan, balance of payments and external financing needs
- Pakistan’s program implementation under a $7 billion program remained broadly aligned with authorities’ commitments, IMF says
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made “considerable progress” in talks with Pakistan over its funding facilities, the Fund said late Wednesday, adding that discussions will continue in the coming days.
The IMF mission, led by Iva Petrova, had started talks with Pakistani officials on the third review of a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) multi-year program and for the second review of the $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) from Feb. 25 to Mar. 11, according to the IMF.
The mission observed that Pakistan’s program implementation under the EFF remained broadly aligned with the authorities’ commitments through end-Feb., with both sides making progress on policies, including fiscal consolidation, a sufficiently tight monetary policy and advancing energy sector reforms.
“While considerable progress was made in the discussions, these will continue in the coming days, including to more fully assess the impact of recent global developments on Pakistan’s economy and the EFF-supported program,” the IMF quoted Petrova as saying.
Both EFF, secured in Sept. 2024, and the RSF, secured in May 2025, are key programs crucial for stabilizing Pakistan’s fragile economy. The IMF team was in the country to assess fiscal performance, energy-sector reforms, and external financing needs before approving the next disbursement.
The ongoing IMF engagement is seen as vital for Pakistan as geopolitical tensions and rising global oil prices pose renewed risks for its economic recovery.
The IMF mission observed that Islamabad paid “particular attention” to deepening structural reforms and made “good progress” in the implementation of their agenda to strengthen climate resilience, including through the completion of reform measures under the RSF.
“Discussions also covered the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on Pakistan’s economic outlook, the balance of payments and external financing needs amid volatile and rising energy prices and tighter global financial conditions,” Petrova said, adding:
“The IMF team and the authorities will continue these discussions with a view to conclude them in the coming days.”
