Qatar, Pakistan call for support to Afghanistan

Qatar and Pakistan yesterday called on the international community not to make humanitarian aid to Afghanistan conditional on political developments under the new Taliban government.“To save lives and the people of Afghanistan, there should be no strings attached,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at a news conference in Islamabad along with HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Qureshi said the world is watching the conduct of the Taliban’s new political setup to see if they live up to pledges on key issues, including human rights.“If you are not ready for immediate economic aid or development, fine... but do not take steps that would lead to an economic collapse of Afghanistan,” he added.His words were echoed by HE Sheikh Mohamed, who said: “Humanitarian assistance should be independent from any political progress.”He said Afghans deserve to be supported despite what is happening in the political landscape.