Amraiz Khan Lahore
After three years of suspension of transit trade with India due to the Kashmir issue, Islamabad in a very rare gesture has allowed a shipment of food aid from India to cross the land border into Pakistan. The consignment is on its way to Afghanistan.
As per Foreign Office, the first batch of 41 Afghan trucks, which entered into Pakistan through Torkham was returning to Afghanistan on Wednesday after taking the Indian wheat consignment from Attari-Wagah in Lahore.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Government of Pakistan has agreed on an exceptional basis to allow the overland transportation of humanitarian assistance of 50,000 metric tonnes wheat and lifesaving medicines from India for Afghanistan via Attari-Wagah border up till Torkham.
“Pakistan has been closely coordinating with all sides to facilitate smooth transit of the humanitarian assistance,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said.
India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and Farid Mamundzay, Afghanistan’s ambassador to India, saw off the first 50 trucks of a 50,000 metric tonnes shipment of wheat from the Indian border post of Attari on the country’s western border with Pakistan on Tuesday. It is worth mentioning here that Islamabad had suspended trade with India in 2019 after New Delhi rescinded the partial autonomy of Indian-Occupied Kashmir and it was first time after that suspension that transit trade was allowed on humanitarian basis.
