Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday has urged the international community to extend continuous support to the Afghan people to avert a major humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

In a statement, he pointed out that the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers being hosted by Pakistan on Sunday will provide an opportunity to dilate upon concrete steps to meet the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.

The foreign minister said that some international and regional organizations are also being invited to this moot.

FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that being part of Muslim Ummah, our relations with the people of Afghanistan are deep-rooted in friendship and brotherhood.

Alluding to Pakistan’s intense diplomatic efforts to highlight the plight of the Afghan people, Qureshi said being the collective voice of Muslim Ummah, the OIC can extend support to the Afghan people to control the humanitarian crisis.

He said the OIC leadership can also prove to be effective in galvanizing other international agencies to come forward and extend a helping hand to the Afghan people.

He said according to the estimates of the UN, half of the Afghan population is faced with acute food shortages and this situation is further aggravating.

FM Qureshi said the World Food Program has warned that more than 3.2 million children in Afghanistan are faced with the issue of serious malnutrition.