ISLAMABAD: At the United Nations, Pakistan has called for lifting of unjustified freeze on Afghanistan’s assets to avert humanitarian disaster in that country.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram told UN Security Council that 28 million Afghans are facing acute food insecurity. He said Afghanistan needs cash to revive the economy, pay salaries, restore small businesses and revive the banking system.

The Pakistani envoy warned that the consequences of a major humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan would be horrendous. Earlier, UN Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons briefed the Council on the developments in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.

He said despite an improvement in the security situation, Afghans feel abandoned by the international community. Deborah Lyons warned that Afghanistan’s deep economic crisis threatened to raise the risk of extremism, illicit drugs, arms flows and human trafficking.