Islamabad: Pakistan Friday agreed to let India transport 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat and life-saving drugs as humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan on Afghan trucks through the Wagah border crossing, after a row erupted between the two countries over the modalities of transportation.
Thursday, India said that discussions with Pakistan are going on to finalise the modalities for the transportation of its aid to Afghanistan through Pakistani soil and insisted that no conditionalities should be attached for sending the humanitarian assistance.
In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that humanitarian assistance should not be subject to conditionalities.
Pakistan last week formally informed India about its decision to allow the transportation of wheat and life-saving drugs to neighbouring Afghanistan through its territory on an “exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes”.
Thursday, Pakistan turned down India’s wheat transit proposal.
However, Foreign Office said in a statement on Friday that the decision to let New Delhi send wheat and life-saving drugs to Afghanistan through Pakistan on Afghan trucks was formally conveyed to India.
“With a view to further facilitate Pakistan’s decision to allow transportation of 50,000 MT of wheat and life-saving medicines from India to Afghanistan via Wagah border on an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes, it has been decided to also allow the use of Afghan trucks for transportation from Wagah border to Torkham,” it said.
The Foriegn Office said that the decision was conveyed to the Charge d’Affaires of India at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
PTI