After the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the United States froze nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank, while the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union suspended funding for projects in the Islamic republic.
"I think freezing the assets is not helping the situation. I would strongly urge the powers that be that they should revisit that policy and think of an unfreeze. It will be a confidence-building measure as well and that could also incentivize positive behaviour," the foreign minister told reporters on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, as cited by the Express Tribune.
Qureshi also said that now that there is "hope for peace in Afghanistan" after four decades of war in the country, the world powers "should not leave Afghans alone at this critical juncture."
He added that the international community should insist that Afghans have "an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups are represented,” adding that the Taliban-led government should uphold its promise that “girls and woman be allowed to go to school, college and university.”
In mid-August, the Taliban took over Kabul and the official Afghan government collapsed. After seizing the last resisting province of Panjshir, the Taliban announced the composition of the new interim government of Afghanistan led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who has been under United Nations sanctions since 2001.
On 13 September, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that the new Afghan government is ready to take all possible legal steps to unfreeze Afghanistan's foreign assets in the United States.