LAHORE: A fleet of 36 Afghan trucks received the second consignment of 2,000 tonnes of wheat from India and left for Afghanistan on Saturday after being cleared by the customs, immigration and security officials here at the Wagah border.

The convoy had earlier entered Pakistan via Torkham border on Thursday night and reached the Indo-Pak border on Friday morning under the tight security of the respective police authorities.

Talking to Dawn, an official said it was difficult for Afghanistan to lift the entire wheat stock of 50,000 tonnes from India within the stipulated time frame of 30 days. So far, Afghanistan has been able to take only 4,500 tonnes of wheat in two trips from February 22 to March 5, they added.

“We were informed by the authorities concerned about the arrival of the second fleet comprising 41 trucks from India. However, only 36 trucks entered Pakistan via Torkham. They all reached under tight security at Wagah on early Friday morning from where they were allowed to proceed for India one by one after crossing the Wagah border,” a senior official source explained while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

The official said loading of wheat to Afghan trucks took almost the whole day. In the evening, the trucks started coming back to Wagah after being cleared by the Indian authorities at the Attari post. After a thorough inspection, the trucks were allowed to enter the country by Pakistani authorities at Wagah and then given the go-ahead to proceed for Afghanistan under tight security, he added.

Responding to a question, the official said the 36 trucks carried a total wheat load of 2,000 tonnes while the first convoy of 41 trucks took 2,500 tonnes. “Around 45,500 tonnes of wheat remain to be lifted and it seems difficult for the Afghan authorities to do so within one month – the stipulated timeframe fixed by the three countries in this regard,” he added.

“In my opinion, the entire exercise would take at least 48 days more [with effect from March 5] if it continues on the current pace,” he added.

New Delhi has committed 50,000 tonnes of wheat for Afghanistan on the humanitarian ground because of food shortages. Pakistan agreed to facilitate both Afghanistan and India through safe and duty-free transportation of the commodity. For this, the Indian government had agreed with an Afghanistan-based logistics company to send empty trucks via Torkham and Wagah.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2022