New Delhi: With the Afghan food crisis driving millions to the gap of starvation, India is considering the option to transport 50,000 metric tons (MT) of wheat and medical assistance to the Taliban-ruled country.
The government needs to avoid what has been described as an efficient logistical challenge to be able to send food assistance to Afghanistan.
India wants unobstructed and directly access to those who handle humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and only believe that the United Nations is equipped to monitor, because Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said last month in the UN address, the distribution of humanitarian assistance that was not discriminatory in all parts of Afghanistan.
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Indian assistance will depend on whether this “ enabling endaging ‘was made.
The UN World Food Program has said earlier this month that it was related to Indian authorities for the procurement of wheat from India for Afghanistan.
India last year delivered 75,000 MT wheat to Afghanistan but it was through a long and circular and spinning port route.
One of the options considered is to transport wheat to Afghanistan through the road through the Attari-Wagah border with Pakistan but it will be a complicated exercise considering Pakistan does not allow 2-way trade in the border and Afghanistan.
This only allows Afghanistan to export goods to India.
India is studied to connect with Pakistan about this problem.
For the proposal to be realized, the United Nations will have an important role to play in logistics.
At the G20 address last week, PM Narendra Modi also called for humanitarian assistance that was not blocked and urged for the people of Afghanistan.
India also said that, regardless of Indian relations with the Taliban, his relationship traditionally with Afghans will continue to guide his approach to Afghanistan.
Humanitarian assistance, including food assistance, will be the main focus area for the Indian international conference has proposed to regulate next month in Delhi and those who have been invited by Russia, China and Pakistan, among others.
ToI first reported on Saturday that India had proposed a conference in Afghanistan.
India remains the main source of wheat for Afghanistan, after supplying more than one million metric tons of wheat in the last 10 years.