PremiumPakistan would favourably consider the request by Afghan brothers for transportation of wheat offered by India through Pakistan on an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes, PM Imran Khan's office wrote
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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that it would consider the request by the Taliban regime for transportation of wheat from India via Pakistan on an "exceptional basis". The Pakistan PM expressed the views while speaking to a delegation led by Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. PM Khan told the Taliban delegation that Pakistan would "favourably consider" a request by "Afghan brothers" for transportation of wheat crop from India via his country.
The Pakistan Prime Minister's Office also wrote a tweet regarding wheat transportation to Afghanistan. "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 an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes and as per modalities to be worked out," Pakistan PMO wrote on Twitter.
Pakistan has not allowed Indian shipments to Afghanistan to pass through its territory.
In October, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) country director in Afghanistan, Mary Ellen Mc Groarty said the programme is in talks with India for wheat donation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
India had reached out to Pakistan in the first week of October for allowing the movement of trucks carrying 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. So far, China and Turkey have already started distributing food to Afghans.
Following a meeting with Indian officials in October, the Taliban said that New Delhi has expressed readiness to provide extensive humanitarian assistance to Afghans.
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating since the Taliban took control of the country. According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), millions of Afghans will face starvation this winter unless urgent action is taken.
Nearly 23 million people, or 55% of the Afghan population, are estimated to be in crisis or experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity between now and March of next year.
In its latest situation report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows concern about "conditional humanitarianism" or attempts to "leverage" humanitarian assistance for political purposes.
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