Islamic countries pledge humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, warn of ‘chaos’

"Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos," Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told a meeting of foreign ministers in Islamabad.

Islamic countries pledged on Sunday to set up a humanitarian trust fund for Afghanistan as, with millions facing hunger and a harsh winter setting in, Pakistan’s prime minister warned of chaos if the worsening emergency was not urgently addressed.

The crisis is causing mounting alarm but the international response has been muted, given Western reluctance to help the Taliban government, which seized power in August.

“Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos,” Prime Minister Imran Khan told a meeting of foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Islamabad.

The trust fund, announced by Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, will be set up under the aegis of the Islamic Development Bank.

Allowing Afghanistan access to reserves frozen outside the country would be key to preventing economic collapse, participants in the meeting, which included representatives from the United Nations, United States, European Union and Japan, said in a statement.

But it was unclear how much the fund would contain and the meeting did not provide official recognition to the Taliban government.

Acting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the government had restored peace and security and done much to address demands for more inclusiveness with respect for human rights, including the rights of women.

“All must acknowledge that political isolation of Afghanistan is not beneficial for anyone, therefore it is imperative that all support the prevailing stability and back it both politically and economically,” he said.