By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday called for re-validating the principle of shared responsibility and burden sharing for the large refugee hosting countries like Pakistan.
The Foreign Minister was addressing a high-level Webinar hosted by the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss the situation of refugees and other displaced persons during the Pandemic and the need for international cooperation. He was joined by UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Austria (ex-FM), EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, and Deputy Director General of World Health Organization (WHO).
While sharing that Pakistan has provided protection, offered opportunities for education, health, livelihoods, vocational trainings, and social mobility to millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades, he added that the presence of three million Afghans was a clear illustration of Pakistani generosity, compassion and hospitality.
Foreign Minister Qureshi referred to the compassionate and holistic approach of the Government of Pakistan to combat impacts of COVID-19 including the US $ eight billion relief package announced by the Prime Minister Imran Khan.
