Pakistan grants extension to India to transport wheat, life-saving medicines to Afghanistan via Wagah border

• Spokesperson says Islamabad had approved transportation of 50,000 MTs of wheat and life-saving medicines in November 2021 
• Approval was given as humanitarian assistance on an “exceptional basis”.
• Extension has been given for two months after it expired on March 21, 2022.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has granted an extension to India for the transportation of wheat and life-saving medicines to Afghanistan via Pakistan, the Foreign Office spokesperson in a statement.

Pakistan on Sunday granted an extension to India in the “time period for transportation” wheat and life-saving medicines that New Delhi was transporting to Afghanistan via the Wagah border.

The spokesperson said that in November 2021 Islamabad had “approved, as a special gesture to the Afghan people, the transportation of 50,000 MTs of wheat and life-saving medicines as humanitarian assistance from India to Afghanistan via Wagah border”. The gesture was given on an “exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes”.

“The time period granted for transportation of the humanitarian assistance expired on March 21, 2022. The Government of India recently requested for extension in time period to complete the transportation process,” said the spokesperson.

The spokespersons said that Islamabad has granted two months extension to facilitate the transportation “as a manifestation” of its “sincere efforts towards addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan”.

“All the modalities shall remain the same as earlier communicated to the Indian side. The High Commission of India in Islamabad has been informed of the decision in this regard,” said the spokesperson.

The greenlight to transport Indian wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan was given by former prime minister Imran Khan last year when Acting Afghan Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, had come to Islamabad.