India reached a deal with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to distribute 50,000 MT of wheat that it has pledged to provide to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid. Previously, the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan took place.
The deal was confirmed by the Indian Embassy in Rome, where Ambassador Neena Malhotra gave over the Memorandum of Understanding for WFP to take care of the wheat caravans when they arrive in Afghanistan and disperse them to Afghans in need. In a tweet, the World Food Programme's Rome headquarters referred to the deal as a 'landmark,' praising India for its 'generous gift of grain in help of the public of Afghanistan experiencing serious shortages of food.'
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The wheat would be transported through Pakistan to the Afghan crossing point and turned over to WFP authorities in Kandahar commencing February 22nd, as per the MoU. The wheat would ultimately be split into 5 groups of 10,000 MT, which would be delivered around the nation by WFP's roughly 200 vehicles.
The World Food Programme (WFP) operates its supply chain within Afghanistan, collaborating with civil society organizations, and has initiated a worldwide movement to provide enough meals and help to the country's malnourished community, which is predicted to be half of the population or maybe 22 million Afghans.
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Among the concerns to be resolved was if the Taliban administration, which no nation recognizes, could seize food assistance stores. Mr. Parajuli, on either side, stated that the WFP functions in Afghanistan, as it does in other nations, on the premise that it may provide humanitarian assistance 'straight into the hands' of those who need, without intervention from the Taliban.
Furthermore, Iran has volunteered to transport part of the wheat via Chabahar port and then to the Afghan frontier via Zahedan. As per an authority, 'all approvals' for the transit from Tehran have been given following a meeting between Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on January 8. However, it is uncertain whether India would continue using the Chabahar channel, which is used from 2017 to 2020 to carry almost one million tonnes of wheat until the Taliban seized power of Kabul. The path through Pakistan, which has been banned for all products from India since 2019 but has only been allowed as an exemption, would most likely take a few weeks to convey the present cargo since facilities and labor to unload and load the wheat must be organized.
In August 2019, Pakistan discontinued all trade with India in rage at the country's approaches in Jammu & Kashmir and Article 370. Following that, the Khan administration permitted Afghan shipments to India to flow across the Wagah border, providing an exemption for Indian medications during the epidemic. Onboard planes, India has also sent multiple consignments of doctors and health supplies to Afghan hospitals.
