ISLAMABAD, Dec 3 (APP): Pakistan on Friday decided to also allow the use of Afghan trucks for transportation of 50,000 MT of wheat and life-saving medicines from India to Afghanistan via Wagah border to Torkham.
Pakistan took the decision to allow transportation of wheat and life-saving medicines from India to Afghanistan via Wagah border on an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes, Foreign Office said in a statement issued here,
“This demonstrates the commitment and seriousness of the Government of Pakistan to facilitate the proposed humanitarian assistance,” it added.
According to the statement, the decision was conveyed to the Charge d’ Affaires of India on Friday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Indian government was also urged to proceed quickly to take necessary steps to expeditiously undertake the delivery of the humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, sources while commenting on the subject said that despite Pakistan’s decision to allow the transportation of wheat and medicines – also conveyed to Indian Charge d’ Affaires on 24 November, India seemed to be deliberately spreading “misinformation” about Pakistani modalities for the shipment of humanitarian assistance via the Wagah border.
As per the modalities, the sources said that Pakistan proposed that trucks under the banner of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) should transport the wheat and other essentials from India to Afghanistan.
However, India made a counter proposal and suggested that the wheat should be shipped either in Indian or Pakistani trucks. “This option is not feasible,” the sources said and explained that India was given permission to use Pakistan’s land route on exceptional basis.
