Four-and-a-half months after India proposed to Pakistan that it desires to ship wheat for the individuals of Afghanistan, the primary consignment of about 2,000 metric tonnes of the grain, laden in about 50 vans, will roll out on Tuesday. They can be taken to Afghanistan overland by means of Pakistan in Afghan vans, which is able to decide up the consignments at Attari in Punjab.
This is a big diplomatic improvement the place India and Pakistan are coming collectively to assist the individuals of Afghanistan. India does not acknowledge the Taliban regime in Kabul.
The flag-off is predicted to happen on Tuesday afternoon, sources stated Monday. This is the primary tranche of fifty,000 tonnes of wheat India has dedicated to ship to Afghanistan for the reason that Taliban took over the nation in mid-August. This follows a pact between India and the World Food Program, signed earlier this month to produce foodgrain to Afghanistan as a humanitarian gesture.
India had despatched a proposal to Pakistan on October 7 final yr in search of the transit facility to ship 50,000 tonnes of wheat and life-saving medicines to Afghanistan through Pakistani soil, and obtained a response from Islamabad on November 24, 2021.
Officials stated the duty of transferring 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan would require greater than 1,200 vans through Pakistan. The logistics recommend that Indian vans would require the wheat to be unloaded, and loaded once more into Afghan vans, on the Zero Point on Wagah-Attari border.
In November final yr, greater than a month after India despatched a request to Pakistan for sending foodgrain to Afghanistan by means of land route, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had advised the visiting Taliban delegation in Islamabad that it might “favourably consider” the request by “Afghan brothers” for transportation of wheat provided by India by means of Pakistan “on exceptional basis” for “humanitarian purposes, and as per modalities to be worked out”. This was conveyed by Imran Khan to Taliban Foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who was accompanied by the Taliban’s Finance and Commerce & Industry ministers and senior members of the delegation.
In 2020, India assisted Afghanistan with 75,000 metric tonnes of wheat, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had stated on the UN High-Level Meeting on the Humanitarian scenario in Afghanistan in September 2021.
On a number of events, India has expressed willingness to ship humanitarian assist to individuals of Afghanistan, although it has cautioned the worldwide neighborhood to suppose by means of the implications of granting recognition to the Taliban regime.
Currently, Pakistan permits Afghanistan to solely export items to India however does not enable another two-way commerce by means of the border crossing. India has thus far despatched 5 batches of medical help consisting of about 9 tons of important life-saving medicines to Afghanistan.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
