New Delhi, Nov 26 (UNI) India on Friday said that humanitarian assistance should not be subject to conditionalities, even as it is examining Pakistan’s response to its proposal for allowing transit to trucks carrying 50,000 MT of wheat and life-saving medicines from India for Afghanistan.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, answering queries at a media briefing, said: “We are examining the response of the government of Pakistan, we are also working on the modalities with the Pakistan side. We believe that humanitarian assistance should not be subject to conditionalities.”
He said that India had sent its proposal for allowing transit to the wheat consignment on October 7, and received a reply only this Wednesday.
“India has always stood by the people of Afghanistan, be it humanitarian support or development assistance. We received earlier this week, on Wednesday I think, a response from the Government of Pakistan to our proposal, made on October 7 for providing humanitarian assistance of 50,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan.
“This also has life-saving medicines that we wanted to send. This was about humanitarian access into Afghanistan for the delivery of 50,000 MT of wheat and life-saving medicines we are supplying to the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
The response comes as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar earlier in the day, in his remarks at the Russia-India-China foreign ministers meeting, said that India has offered the supply of 50,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan and called on the RIC countries to work together to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the Afghan people “without hindrance and without politicization”.
Earlier this week, Islamabad agreed to allow transit to Indian trucks carrying the wheat only after top officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan personally interceded with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to allow access through his country for the humanitarian assistance. Imran Khan said he would allow the Indian wheat to pass through “on exceptional basis”.
UNI/RN