Pakistan approves ‘transportation’ of wheat from India to Afghanistan via Wagah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced on Wednesday that it will allow the “transportation of 50,000 tonnes of wheat and lifesaving medicines from India to Afghanistan via Wagah Border” as a “goodwill gesture” to the Afghan people.

“As a goodwill gesture towards the brotherly Afghan people, the Government of Pakistan has decided to allow the transportation of 50,000 tonnes of wheat and lifesaving medicines from India to Afghanistan via Wagah Border on an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson in a statement.

Islamabad to ‘favourably consider’ Kabul’s ‘request’ to transport wheat offered by India: PM

The FO said that Islamabad’s decision has been “formally conveyed” to the Indian charge d’ affaires when he visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

Read more: Islamabad to ‘favourably consider’ Kabul’s ‘request’ to transport wheat offered by India: PM

Earlier this month a high-level ministerial delegation of the Taliban government led by interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in Islamabad for the Troika Plus meeting.

During the visit, the delegation had also met Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In the meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan had assured Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi that Islamabad in the “current context” would “favourably consider” its Afghan brothers “request” to transport wheat offered by India via Pakistan.

“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 an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes and as per modalities to be worked out,” the premier’s office had said in a series of tweets after the meeting.

On the other hand, Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi shared that the Afghan foreign minister had requested the PM Imran Khan for “further facilitation at Torkham, Chaman crossings and for Afghan trade goods’ transit to Pakistan ports”.

Read more: Pakistan willing to transport Indian wheat to Afghanistan

“HE Imran Khan pledged that Afghan transit via Pakistan would be significantly facilitated, Indian assisted wheat allowed to reach Afghanistan via Wagah port as well as visa services facilitated, adding that he would help pave the way for continued humanitarian aid, in resolving existing political challenges on international stage and attracting humanitarian assistance,” tweeted Balkhi.