LAHORE: The 41 Afghan trucks collected the first consignment of 2,500 metric tonnes of wheat from India and left for Jalalabad, Afghanistan, here on Tuesday night.

A day earlier (on Monday), the trucks reached Lahore from Torkham and entered the India territory after crossing the Wagah border.

Carrying wheat, the trucks driven by the Afghan drivers were dispatched toll-free for Afghanistan by the Pakistan security, immigration and Customs authorities in Lahore, according to official sources.

“Actually, there was a plan of a convoy of 60 Afghan trucks’ arrival at Wagah on Monday. But the convoy of 41 trucks entered Pakistan’s territory at Torkham and it reached Wagah (Lahore) on Monday evening. The same day, they were allowed by Pakistani authorities to proceed from Wagah for Attari (India). Similarly, the Indian authorities allowed them to enter for collection of wheat,” an official source told Dawn on Tuesday.

On the other hand, the Indian High Commission to Pakistan (Islamabad) tweeted on Tuesday, saying: “an important milestone in India’s humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. Today, India dispatched first convoy of 2500MT of wheat assistance from ICP (Integrated Check Post) Attari to Jalalabad, Afghanistan.”

The official said the wheat-laden Afghan trucks started returning to Wagah after being cleared by the Indian authorities. Similarly, they all were checked by the Pakistani authorities at the time of entering Wagah. “All the Pakistani authorities (security, immigration, Customs etc) rendered full cooperation in facilitating the Afghan drivers and their trucks right from their arrival at Torkham and then at Wagah, departure to Attari (India), return to Wagah and dispatch for Afghanistan,” the official maintained.

India had earlier announced 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat for Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds. Similarly, Pakistan had agreed to facilitate both Afghanistan and India through safe and duty-free transportation of the commodity. The Indian government had agreed with an Afghanistan-based logistics company to send empty trucks via Torkham and Wagah.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2022