AMRITSAR: India on Thursday sent the second batch of wheat shipment as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan via the Attari-Wagah border.
Officials said 2,500 metric tonnes of wheat was loaded in 36 Afghanistan trucks at the integrated check post (ICP), Attari, which facilitates India’s trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The second batch was flagged off jointly by commissioner of Amritsar customs Rahul Nangare, Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI)’s manager Sukhdev Singh and Border Security Force commandant Pardeep Singh.
The trucks will take the wheat through Pakistan’s Torkham border to Jalalabad in Afghanistan where it will be delivered to the United Nations’ food assistance branch, World Food Program (WFP)—the world’s largest humanitarian organization focused on hunger and food security, and the largest provider of school meals. WFP will further disburse the wheat in Afghanistan.
Earlier, 50 trucks carrying around 2,500 metric tonnes of wheat were sent to the crisis-hit country on February 22. In early October, at the G20 meeting on Afghanistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced to send food aid to the crisis-hit country. Later, foreign minister S Jaishankar announced that 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat would be sent for Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s cabinet had last November given its approval to India to send the consignment through its territory. But transportation became a sticking point. Officials aware of the development said Islamabad wanted the wheat to be transported in Pakistani trucks provided by the National Logistics Cell, a trucking operation affiliated with the Pakistani Army. New Delhi wanted to send it in Indian trucks. Later on, it was decided by both the countries that the wheat will be loaded in the Afghani trucks at the ICP.
{{/usCountry}}Pakistan’s cabinet had last November given its approval to India to send the consignment through its territory. But transportation became a sticking point. Officials aware of the development said Islamabad wanted the wheat to be transported in Pakistani trucks provided by the National Logistics Cell, a trucking operation affiliated with the Pakistani Army. New Delhi wanted to send it in Indian trucks. Later on, it was decided by both the countries that the wheat will be loaded in the Afghani trucks at the ICP.
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