Denying Afghanistan access to foreign reserves may make economic migrants of millions: Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday drew the attention of the international community to how Afghanistan being denied its foreign reserves, or international aid, may further compound the miseries of the Afghans and make economic migrants of millions.

Qureshi's remarks came during a Ministerial Coordination Session hosted by the US and Germany, following which a statement was issued by the Foreign Office.

At the outset, he thanked US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas for inviting him to participate "in this important and timely initiative on Afghanistan", the statement said.

"The international community must put the Afghan people first. We have to take care that in denying Afghanistan access to its foreign reserves or international financial institutions, we do not end up adding to the miseries of the longsuffering Afghan people. 

"It is in our collective interest that our actions do not make economic migrants of millions of Afghans who are otherwise content to live in their own country," the statement quoted the foreign minister as saying.

Qureshi, in his address, noted that Pakistan, which has been "profoundly affected by conflict and instability in Afghanistan for over 40 years", has a vital interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

He appreciated the message by US President Joe Biden on August 31, in which he said that the war in Afghanistan has come to an end.

"We, too, believe it is time to turn the page," the foreign minister said.

He said that today, there is a changed political reality in Afghanistan, with an interim setup announced by the Taliban.

"Pakistan hopes that the socio-economic and development gains made over the last 20 years would be secured," he said, adding that the country also believes that only a peaceful and stable Afghanistan will be a credible development and counterterrorism partner for the international community.

Qureshi underscored that this would "only be achieved through more, not less, regional and international engagement on Afghanistan".

He said that Pakistan, as an immediate neighbor, also, "cannot afford to disengage".

Afghanistan's current situation and Pakistan's limitations

The foreign minister then turned the meeting's focus to the current situation in Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan sits on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. We have all seen the reports of famine, food shortages, and soaring inflation in Afghanistan," he said.

"There is some consolation that the sudden collapse of the former Afghan government has not caused the mass exodus of refugees from Afghanistan that we had feared. But we must be cautious that economic meltdown does not instead trigger such a crisis," he warned.

Qureshi cautioned that while Afghanistan's immediate neighbours, especially Pakistan would bear the immediate brunt of such a situation, " we would all feel its aftershocks eventually".

"Sustained economic support is essential to alleviate the sufferings of Afghan people," he stressed.

The foreign minister called on the international community to realise Pakistan's limitations, even as its borders with Afghanistan remain open to Afghans.

"Pakistan is already home to approx 4 million Afghans, both documented and undocumented. We are a developing country grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. We simply cannot sustain more refugees from Afghanistan," he explained.

Evacuations from Afghanistan

Qureshi highlighted how Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in Afghanistan are open and continue to facilitate Afghans who wish to leave Afghanistan.

"In the days leading up to the completion of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan provided critical support to the multinational evacuation effort from Kabul airport," he said, adding that at the request of the United States, it also made special arrangements for the transit of Afghans who are to be resettled abroad.

He said that Pakistan hopes that the commitments made on providing safe passage to Afghans and foreigners who want to travel outside "would be honoured". 

"Continued operationalisation of Kabul airport is vital. This would be helpful in relieving some of the pressure on our border crossings," he noted.

'Counterterorrism our shared interest in Afghanistan'

"Finally, we are all conscious that this meeting is taking place days before the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. This is a grim reminder of our shared and core interest in Afghanistan: counterterrorism," Qureshi went on to state.

He said that "perhaps no country has a greater stake in ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a sanctuary for terrorist groups than Pakistan". 

The foreign minister said that since 2001, fighting the war against terrorism has taken over 80,000 Pakistani casualties and caused direct losses of over least $150 billion to Pakistan's economy.

"We have paid dearly — in blood and in treasure — for clearing our former tribal areas of militant groups. But these gains are tenuous, as the recent surge in terrorist attacks against Pakistan by Afghanistan-based terrorist groups proves," Qureshi said.

"We are concerned that terrorist groups, ranging from Al Qaeda and Daesh-K to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and BLA, could use ungoverned spaces inside Afghanistan to plot and launch new transnational attacks," he added.

'Sustained engagement best counterterrorism investment'

Qureshi laid emphasis on the importance of a strong and stable government in Afghanistan and of sustained international engagement as a counterterrorism measure.

"Only such a government would be able to establish its writ over Afghanistan and work effectively with the international community to deny space to terrorist groups that want to harm our countries. Thus, we must never allow creation of a political vacuum in Afghanistan leading to insecurity and instability," the foreign minister said.

"Sustained international engagement with Afghanistan thus remains the best counterterrorism investment for all of us," he added.

Qureshi said that any other outcome "would only produce an Afghanistan that is internally unstable and externally destabilising". 

"We are certain that the international community does not desire that end-state," he ended by saying.