Delivered 50,000 MT Of Wheat, 200 Tonnes Of Medical Aid To Afghanistan: India At 54th Human Rights Council

The Indian government has delivered 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat and 200 tonnes of medical aid to Afghanistan.

In the midst of a deteriorating humanitarian situation and urgent UN agency pleas, India has stated that it has fulfilled its commitment to deliver crucial assistance to the Afghan people via tangible aid on the ground. "India has delivered 50,000 MTs of wheat, 28 tons of disaster relief, and 200 tons of medicines, vaccines and other medical items. India has partnered with UNODC in its humanitarian efforts and has supplied 1100 units of female hygiene kits and blankets for UNODC female rehabilitation centers across Afghanistan," reads the official statement issued by India at the 54th session of the Human Rights Council. 

India further stated that as a contiguous neighbour it "continue to monitor the developments related to human rights" in Afghanistan.

"India’s historical relationship with Afghan people and the stipulations outlined in UNSC Resolution 2593 have continued to guide our approach to Afghanistan. We reaffirm the importance of upholding all human rights, including those of women and girls, and call for their full, equal and meaningful participation in sustaining and building on Afghanistan’s gains over the last twenty years," further reads the statement. 

Restrictions Quelling Women And Girls’ Fundamental Freedoms To Invisibility: Volker Türk

Volker Türk, the UN's human rights commissioner, denounced the rising limitations on women's rights in Afghanistan. He emphasised the disastrous repercussions of a decision to prohibit women from working for non-governmental organisation. "Afghanistan has set a devastating precedent as the only country in the world where women and girls are denied access to secondary and higher education. Restrictions are becoming increasingly severe, quelling women and girls’ fundamental freedoms, effectively confining them to the four walls of their homes - to invisibility," he said. 

Last year, Taliban officials prohibited women from attending university, sparking worldwide criticism and riots in numerous Afghan cities. 

On December 24 last year, they announced the barring of women from NGO work, prompting four major foreign relief organisations to suspend activities in Afghanistan. 

Further, listing out the "misogynistic restrictions," Türk stated: "An ongoing ban on secondary and higher education. A requirement to wear the hijab in public places, with punishments extending to male relatives if they do not comply. No parks, gyms, or public baths. No beauty salons. No travelling more than 78km without a mahram, or male chaperone. No working for domestic or international NGOs, and now, the United Nations. This last ban flies in the face of the UN Charter and its fundamental principle of equality, compromising both human rights and the humanitarian response."