The first shipment of 2,500 metric tonnes of wheat sent by India for Afghan people through the land border route as part of a humanitarian aid reached Jalalabad town of Afghanistan on Saturday.
The consignment, which was part of the 50,000 metric tonnes that the Indian government has committed to send to the war-torn country, was dispatched on February 22.
Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay said the convoy of 50 trucks carrying the grain arrived in the Afghan city and that the aid would now be distributed among people by the World Food Program (WFP).
Aid, but not recognition
India has not recognized the new regime (Taliban) in Afghanistan and has been pitching for the formation of a “truly inclusive government” in Kabul, besides insisting that the Afghan soil must not be used for any terror activities against any country.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, along with Mamundzay and WFP country director Bishaw Parajuli had on February 22 flagged off the convoy of trucks at a ceremony at Amritsar’s Attari border crossing.
On February 12, India had inked a memorandum of understanding with the WFP for the distribution of wheat in Afghanistan. India had sent a proposal to Pakistan on October 7 last year, seeking the transit facility to send 50,000 tonne wheat to the people of Afghanistan via the country and it received a positive response from Islamabad on November 24.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said that India decided to “gift” the wheat to the people of Afghanistan in response to appeals made by the United Nations for humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country.
India has already supplied 5 lakh doses of Covaxin vaccines and 13 tonnes of essential lifesaving medicines to Afghanistan.
India has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to the country to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis there.
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