Kabul/ New Delhi: An Indian delegation led by JP Singh, Joint Secretary of Pakistan Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs called on Taliban Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Kabul on Thursday. The two sides discussed trade and humanitarian aid. Minister Muttaqi called this meeting “a good beginning in ties” between Afghanistan and India. India’ s External Affairs Minister said that “India is in the process of shipping more medical assistance and food grains to Afghanistan.”
Arriving in Kabul, JP Singh visited the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Kabul through which India distributed vaccines and Habiba high School in Kabul.
India sent humanitarian assistance including 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tons of medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID vaccines and winter clothing to Afghanistan, when about 23 million Afghans suffering from the food crisis in the nation.
“In continuation with our developmental partnership with Afghan brethren, we have gifted one million doses of India-made COVAXIN to Iran to administer to Afghan refugees in Iran. We have also assisted UNICEF by supplying almost 60 million doses of polio vaccine and two tons of essential medicines,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“we have gifted one million doses of India-made COVAXIN to Iran to administer to Afghan refugees in Iran. We have also assisted UNICEF by supplying almost 60 million doses of polio vaccine and two tons of essential medicines.India’s development and humanitarian assistance has received a wide spread appreciation across the entire spectrum of Afghan society,” India said further on Thursday.
During his visit, the Indian delegation is slated to call on the officials of various international organisations involved in the distribution of humanitarian assistance across Afghanistan to ensure the proper distribution of aid. Although India does not deal with the Taliban, India has been distributing aid through UN specialized agencies including WHO and WFP.
