Relief goods from India arriving today

Published
0

NEW DELHI, Oct 10: India will airlift on Tuesday the first consignment of 25 tonnes of relief material to quake-hit Pakistan in what is considered as the first humanitarian assistance from New Delhi to Islamabad, United News of India said.

It said the decision to provide relief material such as tents, plastic sheets, blankets, matresses, food items and a variety of medicines and other medical supplies was taken after a meeting with Pakistan High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday evening.

India had also offered to send medical teams and medicines directly to the affected areas which were closer to the Line of Control (LoC) and easier to access from this side, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told reporters.

Asked whether the assistance was being airlifted to Islamabad, Mr Saran said it would be delivered wherever Pakistan wanted and the indication in this regard was still awaited.

To a question why India was not announcing any monetary assistance as had been done by other countries, Mr Saran said these were the items indicated by the Pakistan whose list had been circulated to heads of missions in Islamabad earlier in the day.

Further, India had agreed to allow Pakistani helicopters come close to the LoC to provide relief to the affected people.

Normally, helicopters were not allowed to come close to the LoC, the Foreign Secretary said.

More relief would be provided to Pakistan, depending upon requirements, he said.

Opinion

Editorial

Nuclear uncertainty
Updated 23 Oct, 2026

Nuclear uncertainty

With matters frozen in the political and diplomatic spheres, it will take military-to-military engagement to prevent miscalculation in the strategic sphere.
Auto illusion
Updated 23 Oct, 2026

Auto illusion

PAKISTAN’S draft auto policy 2026-31 is ambitious in its targets and directionless in its strategy. It promises...
Two crimes
23 Oct, 2026

Two crimes

THE senseless killing of a teenager by his employers in Multan is a crime that deserves unqualified condemnation. It...
Makkah pact clarity
Updated 22 Oct, 2026

Makkah pact clarity

Fresh aggression can kick off a firestorm that will be in no one’s control, hence it is best to abandon such reckless plans.
Common ground
Updated 22 Oct, 2026

Common ground

Regrettably, the two sides still fail to see the country’s economic, security, and governance crises as challenges that must be solved politically.
The treatment gap
22 Oct, 2026

The treatment gap

A BREAST cancer diagnosis no longer carries the bleak outlook it did a generation ago. Targeted medicines,...