India has urged Pakistan to accept its request to allow the passage of trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Afghanistan through its territory without any conditions. The onset of winter in Afghanistan combined with the Taliban takeover have pushed the war-torn country into a food security crisis, making the delivery of aid more urgent by the day.
On Thursday, Indian officials said they had already requested Pakistan to allow the passage of trucks carrying 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan in either Indian or Afghan trucks. However, the officials said Pakistan denied the request, as it continues to demand that the wheat be transported in Pakistani trucks. Pakistan is also seeking to impose shipment charges on the aid.
Expressing dismay over Pakistan imposing conditions on the delivery of humanitarian aid, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “They did not have a deadline in mind, but with winters approaching, there are disturbing reports coming in of the dire humanitarian situation. Hope this joint call by security heads of the region would spur movement on the ground.”
Last week, Pakistan formally accepted India’s request to allow the passage of wheat and other life-saving medical equipment to Afghanistan. However, it said that India continues to recommend “unfeasible” options to deliver the wheat to the war-torn country. Pakistani authorities demand that the consignments be shifted from Indian to Pakistani trucks at the Wagah border point. They also insist that the aid must be delivered by trucks under the United Nations World Food Programme.
Furthermore, Pakistan said that asking Afghan or Indian trucks to deliver the aid is not feasible, as there is no two-way trade between the two countries. A Pakistani official has said the government also fears that any incident while the Indian drivers are transiting through Pakistan could trigger a diplomatic tiff between the already-warring sides.
However, India has justified its insistence on relying on Afghan or Indian trucks, as it is concerned that the consignment could be diverted. Indian officials have asserted that it is necessary to ensure the aid reaches the Afghan people through a credible international organisation.
India is a major supplier of wheat to Afghanistan, having delivered over a million metric tonnes to the country over the past decade. Last year alone, India donated 75,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.
With winter approaching, the food shortage continues to aggravate the humanitarian crisis in the country. In September, 3.8 million people received food aid, and 21,000 children and 10,000 women received treatment for acute malnutrition. Against this backdrop, the World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed hope that Pakistan will soon approve the delivery of aid from India. WFP Country Director in Afghanistan Mary-Ellen McGroarty said Afghanistan currently has a “wheat shortfall of 2.5 million tonnes.”