New Delhi

Four months after India had announced an aid of 50,000 metric tons of wheat for the people of Afghanistan, the first conignement of 50 trucks carrying the grain were today flagged off by India's foreign secretary Harsh Shingla and Afghanistan's Ambassador to India Fareed Mamundzay from the Wagah-Attari border of Punjab.

Fareed Mamundzay wrote on Twitter:

"More than four and half months of wait, the first convoy of 50 trucks will start the delivery of 50,000 metric tons of wheat from India to Afghanistan today. I thank the Indian government for the generosity displayed at a time when more than 20 million Afghans are facing crisis or the worse.

“The levels of food insecurity in more than 3 decades. I also thank WFP and our mission in India for their contribution to make this “worthy cause” possible under challenging circumstances. I hope there would be no more barriers to humanitarian aid today, tomorrow and forever.”

In the video an Afghan official  wearing the safety jacket worn by workers at ports is heard speaking about "brotherhood between India and Afghanistan" while labourrs loading the sacfuls of wheats in the rucks in the background.

More than four & half months of wait, the first convoy of 50 trucks will start the delivery of 50,000 metric tons of wheat from 🇮🇳 to 🇦🇫 today. I thank the Indian government for the generosity displayed at a time when more than 20million Afghans are facing crisis or the worse 1/2 pic.twitter.com/qjSynbG20q

— Farid Mamundzay फरीद मामुन्दजई فرید ماموندزی (@FMamundzay) February 22, 2022

Pakistan has thus allowed the Indian trucks to pass through its territory to deliver the humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan after dillydallying for nearly four months. While India has raised this issue at the global platforms, the Taliban had also asked Islamabad not to create hurdles in the delivery of food aid to the people of Afghanistan.

Land Ports Authority of India released these pictures of the flagging off ceremony on Twitter:

India's FS @HarshShringla & Afghan Ambassador @FMamundzay flag off trucks carrying the first consignment of Wheat for Afghanistan via ICP Attari. @PMOIndia @MEAIndia @IndianEmbKabul @HMOIndia @DDNational @AkashvaniAIR @WFP 🇮🇳🇦🇫 pic.twitter.com/bZmLfgJW5I

— Land Ports Authority of India (@LPAI_Official) February 22, 2022

India was getting ready to dispatch the promised wheat via Iran’s Chabahar port despite a heavy logistical cost.

India has already delivered four consignments of vaccines and essential medicines for the people of that country by air and through Chabahar harbour.

Pakistan earlier wanted to use its trucks to deliver the wheat to Afghanistan and deliver had refused to accept this condition.