Wheat to Afghanistan: Pak yet to respond to India's request to move trucks
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New Delhi: India had contacted Pakistan last month for permission to send food grains to Afghanistan via land route, and it is expecting a quick response since Pakistan hasn't declined the request, The Indian Express reported.
New Delhi had sent Islamabad a note verbale to Islamabad asking permission to move trucks carrying 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. It expects a quick reply so that it could initiate moving the aid to Afghanistan.
India had expressed willingness to send aid to Afghan people several times even though it had cautioned the international community in recognising the Taliban regime. As winter has started amid Afghanistan facing a financial crisis, food shortage is severe.
Certain countries like China and Turkey have initiated the distribution of food here in the last few weeks. The Indian Express quoted sources as saying that India has a lot of goodwill among Afghan people, and it also wishes to do its bit. Transporting food supplies by land was chosen since the movement of large quantities via air is difficult.
According to officials, 5,000 trucks are required to move 50,000 metric tonnes. Pakistan is looking at the proposal and reportedly pointed out that the scale of the cargo needs to figure out, TIE reports.
Indian trucks must have to be allowed inside Pakistan, or the cargo would require to be unloaded and loaded again into Paksitani trucks at Zero Point on the Wagah-Attari border, making the process complex. But India is keen to send the consignment from the humanitarian point of view.
The sending of aid will depend on Pakistan's response and the Taliban's willingness to accept it. During their conversations with Indian officials in Doha and Moscow, the Taliban had said that they were open to receiving aid from India.