India offers more humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
New Delhi: India has offered fresh humanitarian aid to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, its Joint Secretary for Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran (PAI), JP Singh, along with a team of officials, is currently in Kabul overseeing the delivery operations.
This is the first visit by an Indian delegation since the Taliban took control of the mountainous country in 2021.
Singh had met with Taliban leaders in New Delhi last year on the sidelines of the Moscow Format for Afghanistan-related negotiations.
Although India is yet to recognize the Taliban regime, and had also closed its Mission in Kabul last year, it is providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
During the visit, the Indian delegation is engaging with representatives from international organizations involved in humanitarian aid delivery in Afghanistan. Also, the team will travel to other locations where Indian programs and projects are being implemented.
Early this year, India dispatched several shipments of humanitarian aid, including 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tonnes of medicines, 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, and winter clothing.
India sent these consignments to the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul, and the UN’s specialized agencies such as the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.
India also sent Iran one million doses of Covaxin, an Indian-made vaccine, for delivery to the Afghan refugees in Iran, and aided UNICEF by supplying almost 60 million polio vaccine doses and two tonnes of vital medications.
(Venkatesh)
