World News | First Consignment of 1,800 Metric Tonnes of Wheat Donated by Pakistan as Humanitarian Assistance Arrives in Afghanistan

Islamabad, Dec 30 (PTI) The Pakistan government on Thursday said that the first consignment of 1,800 metric tonnes of wheat, part of its humanitarian aid package to Afghanistan, has arrived in the war-torn neighbouring country.

“The first consignment of 1,800 metric tonnes of wheat was handed over by Shehzad Arbab, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, to the Afghan side,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

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The humanitarian package of PKR 5 billion, which also includes 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, winter shelters and emergency medical supplies, is part of the in-kind assistance for Afghanistan announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Foreign Office said.

This comes after Pakistan and India inched closer towards finalising a deal on Afghan wheat transit.

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On Thursday, India provided a list of Afghan contractors and truck drivers to the Pakistan government who would transport the Indian consignment of 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan as humanitarian assistance.

Both countries have agreed to the modalities, and the shipment of wheat would commence once Pakistan approves the list of Afghan contractors and drivers, according to a report in the Express Tribune newspaper.

Currently, Pakistan only allows Afghanistan to export goods to India, but doesn't allow any other two-way trade through the border crossing.

However, the Pakistan government made an exception to this rule during the first Apex Committee meeting of the newly established Afghanistan Inter-ministerial Coordination Cell in Islamabad last month, when he announced that Pakistan would allow India to send wheat to the war-torn country through its territory.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan believes that the current humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan requires immediate attention of the international community.

According to the Foreign Office, it is critical that countries from around the world reach out to the Afghans on an urgent basis to help them tide over the current humanitarian and economic crisis, ever since the Taliban regime took over the country in August this year.

According to the UN estimates, nearly 23 million Afghans are facing acute food shortage, with as many as 3.2 million children at the risk of malnutrition.

The UNDP has warned that 97 per cent of Afghans would slip below the poverty line by June next year if steps are not taken.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)