Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, June 2: India has dispatched a delegation to Kabul, led by the external affairs ministry’s point person on Afghanistan, for discussions with senior Taliban members and to oversee humanitarian relief efforts.
Although there have been back-channel talks and meetings with the Taliban in neutral locations such as the United Arab Emirates, India like other countries has not recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, India halted its diplomatic mission and flew hundreds of citizens out of the war-torn country on civilian and military flights.
The ministry said in a statement that the team led by joint secretary JP Singh, who heads the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk in the external affairs ministry, will meet the senior members of the Taliban and hold discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan while in Kabul.
The delegation will be in charge of delivering India’s humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and will meet with leaders from international organisations involved in relief distribution. The delegation will also travel to several locations where Indian programmes and projects are being implemented.
Notably, India has sent many humanitarian aid packages, including 20,000 tonnes of wheat, 13 tonnes of medications, 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccinations, and winter apparel. It has promised to supply 50,000 tonnes of wheat, but delivery has been delayed due to issues caused by Pakistani officials in giving access to land routes for ferries.
The Indian shipments were sent to the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul, as well as UN agencies like the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme (WFP). India is preparing to send more medical supplies and food grains to Afghanistan.
The humanitarian aid, which included one million doses of India-made Covaxin vaccinations provided to Iran to administer to Afghan refugees, was part of India’s developmental collaboration with “Afghan brethren,” according to the external affairs ministry. UNICEF has also received assistance from India, which has provided around 60 million doses of polio vaccination and two tonnes of vital medicines.
