India to send 50,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan; Afghans express gratitude

Amritsar, Feb 22: Almost 50 trucks carrying wheat and medical supplies lined up along the Attari-Wagah land border on Tuesday as India is ready to send the first shipment of wheat as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. India will send wheat and medical essentials to Afghanistan via Pakistan to help the nation fight the humanitarian crisis it has slumped into following the Taliban takeover of the war-torn nation.

 

 

Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be present at the ceremony and he will flag off the consignment. Since the Taliban takeover India has sent life-saving medicines to Afghanistan. Last Saturday, India delivered 2.5 tons of medical assistance and clothing to Afghanistan as part of its fifth batch of medical assistance under humanitarian aid to the crisis-torn country.

 

The country is facing a severe crisis, especially in terms of healthcare and economy due to sanctions imposed on the nation’s Taliban regime took control following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of its presence.

 

 

The Afghan envoy to India from the previous democratically elected regime Farid Mamundzay expressed his gratitude following the gesture shown by the Indian government. “I thank the Indian government for the generosity displayed at a time when more than 20 million Afghans are facing a crisis or the worst levels of food insecurity in more than 3 decades. I also thank WFP and our mission in India for their contribution to make this “worthy cause” possible under challenging circumstances. I hope there will be no more barriers to humanitarian aid today, tomorrow and forever,” Mamundzay said in a tweet.

 

 

Afghan lorry drivers who will carry the consignment back home also expressed their gratitude towards the Indian government. "We have come from Afghanistan...I am very happy..," said one of the Afghans who are in India for transporting the wheat. "There is an utmost need for wheat in Afghanistan. People there don’t have any money and are poor. We thank India for the help," the lorry driver said. Another trucker said that he feels relieved and happy that India is sending these consignments to help its neighbours.

 

PM Narendra Modi last week met members of the Sikh-Hindu delegation from Afghanistan and assured the community of continuous support in the future to resolve all issues and difficulties.

 

 

Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that the Indian government is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. In a virtual weekly media briefing by the official spokesperson of MEA, Arindam Bagchi had said, "Government is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people comprising food grains, COVID vaccines, and essential life-saving drugs."

 

Further, he also informed that in the last few weeks, 3.6 tonnes of medical assistance and 5,00,000 doses of COVID vaccines have been supplied to Afghanistan.