India is sending wheat to Afghanistan to  save its nationals from starvation deaths

As part of its humanitarian gesture, India is sending food supplies to strife-torn Afghanistan. This aid comes at a time when the UN has warned about the near-starvation conditions in Afghanistan. Almost half of the population in that country is in a very vulnerable condition. The US sanctions on Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power have worsened the food supply situation in the war-ravaged country. India has sent 8,000 tonne of wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan. Earlier in February also, India had sent 2,000 tonne of wheat to Afghanistan via the same route. India intends to send 50,000 tonne of wheat which can save lives and provide some relief to the starving people there. The delivery through land route was made possible by Pakistan which allowed the shipments through its land. Pakistani officials agreed to India’s request to send the wheat supplies through the Attari-Wagah border. The heavily militarised border made way for humanitarian aid. The trucks from Afghanistan collect wheat from India, then head for Afghanistan’s city of Jalalabad via Pakistan’s Torkham border. Afghanistan's economy is on the brink of collapse following the Taliban’s takeover in August.

Pakistan has also sent food and medicines to Afghanistan. Though India and Pakistan have bitter relations, the two countries buried their differences to come together for the humanitarian cause. Pakistan had suspended trade with India in 2019 after New Delhi granted full statehood to Kashmir and scrapped Article 370 of the Constitution. Since then, normal diplomatic and trade ties between them have not resumed. After the United States froze Afghanistan’s dollar-denominated assets, the Taliban-led administration has been using wheat as payment for thousands of Government workers. India’s donation comes just days after the UN special envoy for Afghanistan accused the international community of not doing enough for Afghanistan. The country’s economy is in the doldrums after the Taliban took over on August 15 last year as the US and Nato forces withdrew from there after 20 years, leaving a political vacuum for the Taliban to fill. Nearly 80 per cent of the previous Afghan Government’s budget came from international aid. But after sanctions were imposed on the new regime, ordinary Afghans are bearing the brunt. Many institutions have closed down or are on the brink of closure. Even the necessities are not being met. Diseases, drought and malnutrition stare the country in the face.