On April 13, 2023, India signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with World Food Programme (WFP) to send 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan.
The signing ceremony between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the United Nations (WPF) was held in Mumbai. The WFP assured that it had the required infrastructure on the ground to ensure speedy wheat delivery to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable sections.
J.P Singh, the Joint Secretary of the PAI Divisions (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) division in the MEA said- “The fifth tranche to be shipped through the Chabahar Port of Iran builds on assistance already delivered to those who need it most by the WPF in Afghanistan.
India has delivered its commitment standing by the historical relations between people of the two countries and pressing needs on the ground.”
In a press note, the WPF said that it had a massive supply chain and logistics infrastructure in Afghanistan that could help ensure that the food supply reached those who need it most and that no one is excluded.
The MoU signed on April 13, 2023, follows the Indian Deceleration made in the month of March 2023 at the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group in Afghanistan saying that 20,000 MT of wheat would be sent from Chabahar Port.
The decision indicated that the supply of wheat, food and medicines will not be sent through the transit route over Pakistan.
Elisabeth Faure, the Representative and Country Director of the WPF in India said “Sincere gratitude to the Indian Government for food assistance to the people of Afghanistan. India’s support has been a lifeline for families in need and is an important part of the WPF Assistance to Afghanistan.”
The WPF painted a picture of a serious crisis in Afghanistan saying that nine out of ten Afghan Families could not afford food at present and at least 20 million Afghans are facing the threat of starvation as six million of them are one step closer to famine.
India has not recognised the Taliban Government in Kabul which took charge in August 2021 through a quick military campaign that unfolded alongside the withdrawal of American Forces from Afghanistan.
But India has maintained it requires impeded access to the people of Afghanistan to ensure that humanitarian goods that are being sent reach them without getting diverted to Afghan and Taliban warlords.
The WPF appreciated India’s initiative saying that the Afghanistan crisis is unprecedented as it is a combination of decade-long conflict, drought, economic crisis and the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Afghanistan on March 21, 2023.
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