KABUL (Pajhwok): The Taliban government has urged American lawmakers to help unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets frozen by the US and other Western countries.
In an open letter to the US Congress on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called for the release of Afghanistan’s reserves.
Muttaqi warned of a mass refugee exodus from Afghanistan unless the US unblocked the frozen assets and lifted other financial sanctions against the country.
The US and its allies seized more than $9 billion of assets belonging to the Da Afghanistan Bank after the Taliban overran Kabul in mid-August.
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper quoted him as calling financial insecurity the biggest challenge for Afghanistan. “The roots of this concern lead back to the freezing of assets of our people.”
He explained the sanctions had played havoc with trade and humanitarian assistance to millions of desperate Afghans.
The minister wrote: “We are concerned that if the current situation prevails, the Afghan government and people will face problems and will become a cause for mass migration in the region and world.”
Members of Congress and other American officials, he hoped, would consider the Afghans’ problems, triggered by the asset seizure and sanctions.
“Practical steps have been taken towards good governance, security and transparency,” Muttaqi claimed, saying the Taliban intended to do things differently this time.
Muttaqi insisted: “No threat is posed to the region or world from Afghanistan and a pathway has been paved for positive cooperation.”
PAN Monitor/mud
