Indian govt team in Kabul to oversee humanitarian assistance delivery, meet Taliban

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New Delhi, June 2 (UNI) A team of Indian government officials, led by JP Singh, Joint Secretary in the MEA, is currently on a visit to Kabul to oversee delivery of India’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, and they will also meet senior members of the Taliban.
The team led by Singh, who is Joint Secretary in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the Ministry, will meet representatives of the International Organisations involved in distribution of the humanitarian assistance. In addition, the team is expected to visit various places where Indian programmes / projects are being implemented, an official statement said.
“It may be recalled that in response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, India decided to extend humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
“In this endeavor, we have already dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance consisting of 20,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tons of medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID Vaccine and winter clothing.
“These consignments were handed over to the India Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul and UN specialized agencies including WHO and World Food Programme. Furthermore, India is in the process of shipping more medical assistance and foodgrains to Afghanistan.”
India has also gifted one million doses of India-made Covaxin to Iran to administer to Afghan refugees in Iran. India has 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.
“In this connection, the Indian team will meet the senior members of the Taliban, and hold discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.”
India has historical and civilisational ties with the Afghan people and these longstanding linkages will continue to guide our approach, the statement said.
The statement comes days after US’ special envoy on Afghanistan Thomas West was in Delhi and met with JP Singh and other senior Indian government officials regarding Afghanistan. He also met with top Afghan leader Abdullah Abdullah, who is in Delhi since April 30 to be with his family.

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