KABUL: A first consignment of immediate humanitarian aid comprising food and medicines dispatched to Afghanistan by Pakistan reached Kabul Thursday, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Under the directive of Prime Minister Imram Khan, One C-130 aircraft of Pakistan Air Force carrying relief goods/humanitarian Assistance for the people of Afghanistan landed today at Hamid Karzai International Airport. pic.twitter.com/zkZ71e1xNV
— External Publicity Wing (@epwing_official) September 9, 2021
Three planes were dispatched to Kabul as the first tranche, said a separate statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry had announced Wednesday that after the first immediate consignment through the air, further supplies would continue through land routes.
“Pakistan would continue to do its best to help Afghan brethren during the prevalent challenging environment,” the statement added.
Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, received the consignment at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and handed it over to the government officials.
Talking to the media, Khan said the goods included 10 tons of flour, 1.5 tons of cooking oil and emergency medicines.
“More flights containing medical equipment and edible items would arrive in the coming days,” he said.
Two more C-130 flights carrying relief goods have been arranged for the Kandahar and Khost cities of Afghanistan for Friday and Saturday, respectively, the ambassador said.
He said Islamabad would continue sending the goods and Pakistan’s public and private sectors, as well as the charity organisations, would contribute “in a systematic way”.
In addition, the aid would also be transported through land routes including Torkham and Chaman border crossings.
Pakistan “will continue to do its best to help Afghan brethren during the prevalent challenging environment”, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the international community to play its role in helping the people of Afghanistan to avert a possible humanitarian crisis.
Only Wednesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
“We have all seen the reports of famine, food shortages, and soaring inflation in Afghanistan,” he said while addressing the Ministerial Coordination Session jointly hosted by the US and Germany.
Pakistan was one of only three countries — others being Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — that had recognised the first Taliban government in 1996.
Islamabad is believed to have at least some degree of influence over the Taliban, which announced their interim government on Tuesday.
