India has supplied three tonnes of essential life-saving medicines to Afghanistan in the fourth batch of medical assistance to the war-torn country and will provide further humanitarian help to the people there in form of medicines and foodgrains in coming weeks, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday.
In a statement, the MEA said India stands committed to continuing its special relationship with the people of Afghanistan and providing humanitarian assistance.
“As part of our ongoing humanitarian assistance, India supplied the fourth batch of medical assistance consisting of three tonnes of essential life-saving medicines to Afghanistan. The same was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul,” it added.
Prior to this, India has supplied three shipments of medical assistance, consisting of 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and essential life-saving medicines to Afghanistan that was handed over to the WHO and Kabul’s India Gandhi Children Hospital.
“In the coming weeks, we would be supplying more batches of humanitarian assistance consisting of medicines and foodgrains for the people of Afghanistan,” it added.
India has not recognised the new regime in Afghanistan and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul besides insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.
India has been concerned over the recent developments in Afghanistan.
It hosted a regional dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10 last year that was attended by NSAs of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Earlier on January 7, India had delivered two tonnes of life-saving medicines to Afghanistan on Friday as part of humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.
Before that on January 1, India had supplied five lakh doses of anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin to Afghanistan and had announced that an equal number of jabs will be sent in the coming weeks.
In December also, India sent 1.6 metric tonnes of life-saving medicines to Afghanistan.
India has already announced that it will send 50,000 tonnes of wheat and medicines to Afghanistan by road through Pakistan. India and Pakistan are now finalising the modalities for the transportation of the consignments.
India has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country. ( PTI )
