Pakistan PM Khan To Consider Afghan’s Plea To Allow Transit Of Indian Wheat Aid

Pakistan said it would favourably consider the request by Afghan brothers on an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes and as per modalities to be worked out

Imran Khan (File Photo)

New Delhi: Considering the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said he would consider its plea to allow transit of Indian wheat via Pakistan while urging the international community to fulfil its collective responsibility towards the people of strife-torn country.

Pakistan PM's statement has come at a time when the acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is on a maiden foreign visit with a 20-member high-level delegation.

 “We will also be considering a plea from our Afghan brothers to allow transit of Indian wheat via Pakistan,” Khan said, according to PTI. On the request for wheat transportation from India, Pakistan said it would favourably consider the request by Afghan brothers on an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes and as per modalities to be worked out, ARY News said in a report.

 “The Prime Minister conveyed that in the current context Pakistan would favourably consider the request by Afghan brothers for transportation of wheat offered by India through Pakistan on exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes and as per modalities to be worked out,” the Prime Minister's Office said on Twitter.

In addition to the assistance already extended, the Prime Minister stated that Pakistan would provide essential food items including wheat and rice, emergency medical supplies, and shelter items for Afghanistan.

India has extended support to the humanitarian requirements of the Afghan people, and provided more than 1 million metric tonne of wheat to Afghanistan over the past decade.

Last year, too, India supported Afghanistan with 75,000 metric tonne of wheat, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan in September. However, there were reports that Pakistan has blocked India's efforts to provide wheat to the Afghan people, amidst the chill in relations between New Delhi and Islamabad over the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan has been trying to convince the world to diplomatically engage with the Taliban after they seized control of Kabul on August 15. However, the international community is still sceptical about the hardline Islamists, especially on issues like terrorism emanating from the war-torn country and their promises to respect human rights.