PESHAWAR: The Afghan Taliban said the first batch of China’s humanitarian aid, containing blankets and warm clothes, has arrived in Kabul on Thursday.
The aid includes 4,000 blankets was handed over by the Chinese ambassador to Kabul to Taliban Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani.
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With the onset of winter, concerns are growing about the shelter and fate of millions of people in war-riddled Afghanistan. International aid agencies have warned that millions of Afghans are currently facing food shortages and inadequate shelter. The United Nations has pledged more than $1 billion in aid for Afghanistan to help ease one of the world’s “worst humanitarian crises.”
The UN has warned that millions of people in the country could soon run out of food as the economy is on the verge of collapse. China is one of the few countries that still has an active embassy in Kabul and is in contact with the Taliban. A few days ago, Chinese officials called on the international community to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets, otherwise the country could face a humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Defense Minister announced that a number of experts will discuss Afghanistan at a meeting of the (Xiangshan Community) in Beijing next month. According to the minister, the meeting will be held on October 6 and 7 and other security issues related to the region will also be discussed. The Beijing Xiangshan Summit is a regional security summit to be attended by officials and defense experts.
Pakistan has also urged the international community to allow the Taliban access to Afghanistan’s assets to avoid another humanitarian crisis. Prime Minister Imran Khan in his address to the UN general assembly urged the international community to support the new Taliban leaders in Afghanistan instead of isolating them. Khan said the world community should stabilise the current leaders “for the sake of the people of Afghanistan.”