NEW DELHI, Dec 16: India is still in touch with Pakistan for the supply of humanitarian aids to the people of Afghanistan through the land route via Pakistan, the external affairs ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
“India continues to be in touch with Pakistani authorities on the modalities for supplying the 50,000 tonnes of wheat and other medical supplies via the Wagah land border crossing as humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a regular media briefing.
New Delhi had made a proposal for shipping wheat and medicines via Pakistani soil on October 7, and received a response from Islamabad only on November 24. On December 3, Pakistan said it would allow Indian relief materials to be shipped via the Wagah crossing only in Afghan trucks.
India intends to hand over the wheat to the World Food Programme (WFP), the food assistance branch of the UN, since New Delhi doesn’t recognise the Taliban setup in Kabul. On December 11, India dispatched 1.6 tonnes of life-saving medicines on a special charter flight to Kabul and the supplies were handed over to representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO).
“It’s a complex operation and I would request you to be patient,” Bagchi said, without giving details. Bagchi reiterated India’s “special relationship” with the Afghan people, and said the approach of India and the world community to the situation in Afghanistan was guided by UN Security Council resolution 2593. “India will continue providing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people and is committed to send more medicines, medical supplies and wheat,” he said.
Knowledgeable sources said Pakistan had told the Indian side that the entire consignment of wheat should be transported within December. The wheat is to be carried from Wagah by trucks that bring Afghan products to the Indian side. The people said only 30 to 40 Afghan trucks currently make the daily trip to Wagah and it is unlikely that 50,000 tonnes of wheat can be sent via the land route by the end of this month, the sources pointed out.
(Manas Dasgupta)
