The shipment of Indian wheat for Afghanistan to be transported through Pakistan is expected to start in early February after both sides finally agreed on the modalities following months of discussions. It will be rare when India transports goods using Pakistan’s land route to Afghanistan as Islamabad would otherwise never permit two-way trade between New Delhi and Kabul.
But an exception has been made due to the precarious humanitarian situation in Afghanistan with Pakistan allowing one time permission to India to transport 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat through the Wagah border.
It took both the sides several weeks of discussions to agree on the modalities. Initially, Pakistan wanted the transportation of humanitarian assistance goods to Kabul in its trucks under the banner of the United Nations. But India made a counter proposal and wanted the food grain to be shipped to Afghanistan either in Indian or Afghan trucks.
