KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is planning to help the Afghan people under the Taliban interim government in two stages, with the first being extending humanitarian aid, and the second is about engaging businessmen and professionals to assist in the mid-term reconstruction of the war-torn country.

       The Foreign Minister’s special adviser on Afghan affairs, Datuk Ahmad Azam Ab Rahman, said: “The priority now is to establish the Malaysian Humanitarian Centre and begin its operations.”

       The centre will gather all Malaysian humanitarian non-governmental organisations and become a one-stop centre in assisting Afghans in terms of food, shelter and medical needs.

       “Besides basic needs like food, shelter and medicine, we are also encouraging professionals like experienced bankers and financial advisers and businessmen from Malaysia to help revive the economy in Afghanistan,” he told Bernama after attending the Afghan community’s meet-and-greet session with Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah at the International Islamic University Malaysia on Thursday night.

       Malaysia has yet to make its official stand on the Taliban government and is taking a cautious approach to the new regime in Afghanistan.

       The Taliban captured Kabul on Aug 15 and took control of Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years after the US military retreated from the country.

       Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani also left the country when the Taliban advanced to the capital city.

       Ahmad Azam, who is the Commissioner to the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), also hoped that the 17th extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC in Islamabad, Pakistan, today will pledge to seek more funds for humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people.

       Meanwhile, in his dialogue session with the Afghan community, Saifuddin expressed Malaysia’s readiness to understand more about the interim Taliban government.

       He said the priority of the Malaysian government now was to ensure how humanitarian assistance could be rendered, adding that the peace process in Afghanistan should be centred on its stakeholders and people, based on Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation processes.

       On his expectation of the 17th extraordinary session of the CFM of the OIC, Saifuddin said he hoped the international organisation would have a statement on the issue of the United States freezing more than US$9.5bil (RM40.1bil) of Afghan assets after the Taliban seized control.