Sanctions fueling Afghan crisis: says Gen. Bajwa

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok):  Stability is a must for achieving regional prosperity and development, says the Pakistan army chief.

Gen. Asif Bajwa, speaking at the Islamabad Security Dialogue on Saturday, voiced Pakistan’s grave concern at the conflict in Afghanistan.

He insisted that Pakistan continued to work with global fraternity for lasting peace in Afghanistan.

“However, sanctions and lack of financial flows are creating a humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country,” he remarked.

The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has been the focus of international attention.  The 40 million Afghans, facing terrible conditions, should not be forgotten.

The army chief cautioned that an inability to address the issues would lead to a refugee crisis on the one hand and would once again make Afghanistan an epicenter of terrorism on the other.

Gen. Bajwa urged the international community to support the new Afghan government, “The performance of the Afghan government is not satisfactory, to say the least, but we have to be patient and accommodation.”

“While Pakistan shares some of the concerns of the international community, we believe that disengagement from Afghanistan is not an option.”

Gen. Bajwa also called for an immediate end to the invasion of Ukraine. He characterised the war in Ukraine a great tragedy.

“Pakistan has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. We support immediate dialogue between all sides to find a lasting solution to the conflict,” he added.

He said the Russian invasion of Ukraine was very unfortunate as thousands of people had been killed, millions made refugees and “half of Ukraine destroyed”.

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