India announced on Tuesday that it would send a fresh tranche of 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port in Iran. Interestingly, India had earlier supplied about 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through the land route via Pakistan.
India made the announcement at the first meeting of the India-Central Asia joint working group on Afghanistan in New Delhi. In a joint statement with five central Asian countries, India said it would work in partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to supply 20,000 tonnes of wheat as assistance to Afghanistan, PTI reported.
In 2022, months after the Taliban captured power in Kabul in August 2021, India had dispatched 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat for Afghan people as they were reeling under a severe food crisis. The consignments, which were sent using the land route through Pakistan, got the go ahead from Islamabad after months of discussions.
While India has not yet recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, it has been pitching for providing humanitarian aid to the landlocked country. In June last year, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a “technical team” in its embassy in the Afghan capital.
The meeting was attended by special envoys or senior officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Country representatives of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) also participated in the meeting.
The joint statement further emphasised that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities. The participating countries also resolved ways to explore jointly counter threats of terrorism, extremism, radicalisation and drug trafficking in the region.
“The territory of Afghanistan should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts and reaffirmed that no terrorist organisations, including those designated by the UNSC resolution 1267 should be provided sanctuary or allowed to use the territory of Afghanistan,” the statement said.
The nations also emphasised the importance of formation of a “truly inclusive and representative political structure” that respects the rights of all Afghans and ensures equal rights of women, girls and members of minority groups, including access to education.