ISLAMABAD: United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher said on Wednesday he discussed facilitating humanitarian convoys into Afghanistan through Pakistan with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as aid agencies seek to sustain relief operations despite strict border controls imposed by the administration in Islamabad amid worsening ties between the neighboring countries.
Pakistan has tightened movement across its border with Afghanistan since last October following a deterioration in bilateral relations and deadly border clashes, calling off both bilateral and transit trade.
Earlier this month, Pakistani authorities allowed a World Food Programme convoy carrying humanitarian supplies for Afghanistan to move across the frontier, highlighting Islamabad’s role as a key transit route for UN relief operations.
“We discussed intense diplomatic efforts on Middle East, humanitarian convoys across Pakistan/Afghanistan border, and partnership on global disaster preparedness,” Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, wrote on X after meeting Sharif.
The conversation took place as Pakistan stepped up diplomatic engagement with the United States and Iran amid the latest escalation in the Gulf region.
Islamabad has sought an end to other conflicts in the Middle East while calling for greater humanitarian access to Gaza.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif praised the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for its role in responding to global emergencies and thanked the agency for supporting Pakistan during the devastating floods of 2022 and in strengthening the country’s disaster response capacity.
The statement said Fletcher briefed Sharif on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the challenges OCHA faces in delivering urgently needed assistance, while thanking Pakistan for its continued support for humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
Fletcher also met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for OCHA’s humanitarian mission and stressed the need for sustained international assistance for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, according to the foreign ministry.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Fletcher commended Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability, saying sustainable peace was essential to addressing the humanitarian and economic consequences of conflict.
