Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has spread in both developed and underdeveloped countries at a rapid pace.

Addressing in Islamabad, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said “The economies of developing countries are far more troubled by the coronavirus pandemic than the developed world.”

Foreign Minister Qureshi has said that in countries hosting refugees UNHCR should support and provide adequate funding related to refugee support programmes.

The FM maintained that the coronavirus outbreak badly affected Pakistan’s economy. Pakistan has been hosting a large number of Afghan refugees despite the economic crisis, he added.

“The refugees are being provided all facilities, including food and medical treatment,” he stated.

He added that Pakistan receives bare minimum support from UNHCR, which is hosting a large population of refugees from Afghanistan.

He pointed out that while Pakistan adopted a “holistic approach” to help its people, including refugees, in these difficult times, the country needed UNHCR support to provide its refugees with facilities.