Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that after 40 years of war, Afghanistan has a real chance of attaining peace and security and that members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) must act to prevent a crisis in the country.

In an article for Arab News, Imran Khan said: “After 40 years, there is a real opportunity to restore peace and security in Afghanistan and the region.

“We must act collectively to avert a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan, and engage actively with the Afghan authorities to promote human rights, especially women’s rights, encourage greater inclusivity, and develop effective strategies to eliminate the terrorist threat from the country.”

Imran Khan’s came in the run up to the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC which starts in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Foreign Ministers and high-level dignitaries from OIC Member and Observer States will attend the session, including China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.

Senior officials from non-OIC countries, senior representatives from the United Nations, regional and international organizations, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council will also participate.

Imran Khan will deliver the keynote address at the Inaugural Session on Tuesday, and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will chair the Council of Foreign Ministers.

The conference will look at reaffirming the long- standing solidarity and support of its members with the people of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir; it will reiterate its resolve to combat rising Islamophobia, and discuss strategies to counter the effects of climate change, vaccine inequity and erosion in progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Ministerial meeting will also reassess the decisions taken at the Extraordinary Session of the OIC meeting held in Islamabad in December last year to address the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.