India to send 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan

Aid follows New Delhi's meeting with Central Asian countries to discuss the situation in the Taliban-ruled nation

A wheat market on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. India will send wheat to Afghanistan, in partnership with the World Food Programme. Reuters

India will send 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan as part of its partnership with the UN's World Food Programme.

The wheat will be delivered through Iran's Chabahar Port, India's Ministry of External Affairs said after New Delhi and Central Asian countries hosted their first joint working group on Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by special envoys and senior officials from India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, India's Ministry of External Affairs said.

The officials discussed “important issues related to Afghanistan”, including the political, security and humanitarian situation in the region.

“The participants emphasised the importance of [the] formation of a truly inclusive and representative political structure that respects the rights of all Afghans and ensures equal rights of women, girls and members of minority groups, including access to education,” the ministry said.

New Delhi and the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes also agreed to enter into a partnership to counter drug trafficking and rehabilitate addicts in Afghanistan, particularly women, by providing alternate opportunities to improve livelihoods.

India announced in February that it would send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan, which has faced a food crisis since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

The consignment was sent to Afghanistan over land through Pakistan.