In an effort to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan who are facing an uncertain future amid the Taliban’s takeover, India reached out to Pakistan last month for sending foodgrains to the country via the land route.
Pakistan has not declined the proposal yet, reported the Indian Express, but officials in New Delhi are hoping for a quick response so that the aid can be moved as soon as possible.
A harsh winter and a financial crisis mean Afghanistan will face food shortages. Some countries like China and Turkey have extended a helping hand and are distributing food to Afghans.
The Indian government sent a note verbale to Pakistan for allowing movement of trucks carrying 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. This is not the first time India has expressed willingness to send humanitarian aid to the people though it has cautioned the international community to think through the consequences of granting recognition to the Taliban regime.
Officials told the Indian Express that the task of moving 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan would require sending 5,000 trucks via Pakistan. Islamabad is looking at the proposal, but is said to have pointed out that the scale — in terms of trucks and roads — is something that it needs to figure out.
For Pakistan, logistics is an issue. It will have to allow Indian trucks or else it would require the wheat to be unloaded and loaded again into Pakistani trucks at the Zero Point on the Wagah-Attari border — a complex process.
The Taliban, in their conversations with Indian officials in Moscow and Doha, have indicated that they are amenable to receiving aid from India. But Pakistan remains the challenge in between the two countries.
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