Indian delegation visits Kabul: MEA
This visit comes at a time when Afghanistan’s and especially the Taliban’s relations with Pakistan are strained. Last month Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan, after which multiple border conflicts took place between the two countries.
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Kabul, Jun 2: The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has announced that the Indian delegation visited Kabul today on 2nd June 2022. This is the first official visit by any Indian delegation to Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul at the hands of the Taliban on the 15th of August 2021.
This visit comes at a time when Afghanistan’s and especially the Taliban’s relations with Pakistan are strained. Last month Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan, after which multiple border conflicts took place between the two countries.
The statement released by the MEA is as such…
A team led by Joint Secretary (PAI), Ministry of External Affairs, is currently on a visit to Kabul to oversee the delivery operations of our humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
During the visit, the team will meet representatives of the International Organisations involved in distribution of the humanitarian assistance. In addition, the team is expected to visit various places where Indian programmes / projects are being implemented. It may be recalled that in response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, India decided to extend humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. In this endeavor, we have already dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance consisting of 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tons of medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID Vaccine and winter clothing. These consignments were handed over to the India Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul and UN specialized agencies including WHO and WFP. Furthermore, India is in the process of shipping more medical assistance and foodgrains to Afghanistan. In continuation with our developmental partnership with Afghan brethren, we have gifted one million doses of India-made COVAXIN to Iran to administer to Afghan refugees in Iran. We have also assisted UNICEF by supplying almost 60 million doses of polio vaccine and two tons of essential medicines.
India’s development and humanitarian assistance has received a wide spread appreciation across the entire spectrum of Afghan society. In this connection, the Indian team will meet the senior members of the Taliban, and hold discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. India has historical and civilisational ties with the Afghan people and these longstanding linkages will continue to guide our approach.