Pakistan is desirous of a peaceful, stable, prosperous & connected Afghanistan: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD, July 22 (SABAH): Pakistan has dispatched humanitarian assistance and relief goods through a special flight to the flood affected people of eastern Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari participated in the ceremony held at the Nur Khan Air Base, Rawalpindi on Friday to dispatch a consignment of emergency relief assistance to Kandahar, to support affectees in eastern Afghanistan in the aftermath of the devastating flash floods caused by torrential rains.

Addressing the ceremony, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the relief assistance includes tents, blankets, clothing items, cooking oil and sugar.

The Foreign Minister said Pakistan shares the grief of Afghan people and stands in solidarity with them in these difficult times. He said our relief efforts are a humble testament to the fraternal bonds that exist between the two countries.

The Foreign Minister called upon the international community to also step up its relief efforts to support the Afghan people who have been faced with one calamity after another. He said the international community cannot abandon the people of Afghanistan in these difficult times. He said Pakistan has been advocating at all levels that international community must engage with Afghanistan to avoid its economic collapse.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan is desirous of a peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan.

Highlighting the fraternal bonds between the peoples of the two countries, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to continue assistance and relief efforts for the brotherly Afghan people. He stated that both the Government and people of Pakistan stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Afghan nation in these testing times.

The Foreign Minister also underscored the importance Pakistan attached to its relations with Afghanistan and underlined that the two countries had remained engaged to devise a facilitative trade and transit regime and increase connectivity.

The ceremony was attended by the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Afghanistan, Chairman NDMA, and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.