New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his sorrow for the destruction brought on by the floods in Pakistan, but India has not yet determined when it will send aid. However, if Pakistan contacts India, this may proceed.
"Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has expressed sadness at the current situation in Pakistan due to the devastation caused by the floods. Regarding sending any kind of assistance to Pakistan, all we can say is that there is no information on it yet,'' said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi.
According to sources, if Pakistan asks India for help, India will respond by sending them humanitarian supplies, as it has done for many other needy nations like Afghanistan and Ukraine.
According to reports, a technical team from India based in Afghanistan is providing assistance to those affected by landslides and floods in Afghanistan's eastern, central, western, and southern provinces.
"An Indian technical team is already there in Afghanistan and is extending support to those who have been impacted by the flash floods in Afghanistan that have displaced over 8000 people. India has been providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan for some time in the form of wheat, medicines and also restoration of hospitals and emergency facilities,'' said sources.
Politics appears to have taken precedence over improving the circumstances of people affected in Pakistan, where the flood has affected roughly one-third of the nation.
Because basic vegetables like tomatoes and onions cost more than Rs 250 a kilo, the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry asked Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, to allow them to temporarily import vegetables from the Wagah border. That hasn't yet been cleared, though, NIE reported.
If trade through Wagah fails, Pakistani entrepreneurs are considering importing Indian vegetables via Dubai. Prime Minister Sharif spent a day to reply to Prime Minister Modi's letter, although he continued to thank everyone else in the world.
"I thank PM Modi for condolences over the loss of lives and property due to floods," PM Sharif said.
A few hours after thanking PM Modi, PM Sharif once more brought up Kashmir and hailed Syed Ali Geelani, the head of the Kashmiri separatist movement, as today is the anniversary of his passing.
"Syed Geelani was the very essence of Kashmiris struggle and he remains relevant to the freedom struggle even today,'' PM Sharif said in a tweet.