(a) whether India`s plan to send humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees in Pakistan received a jolt when Pakistan informed India that it did not have adequate storage capacity for relief material;
(b) if so, whether India has now decided to send one million tonnes of wheat, medicines, quilts and blankets etc. through areas held by the Northern Alliance and to refugees in Iran; and
(c) if so, the details in this regard?
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS ( SHRI JASWANT SINGH )
( a - c )
(i) As part of our commitment to ameliorate the condition of Afghan people, the government has committed to offer humanitarian assistance for internally and externally displaced Afghans, and others, in need, including through provision of one million tonnes of wheat. As part of our commitment, we had proposed to send to the Afghan refugees in Pakistan, through the government of Pakistan, a consignment of wheat. Government of Pakistan indicated that it had sufficient stocks of wheat, and faced problems related to storage facilities.
(ii) Government is in touch with several countries as well as with various UN Agencies, including the World Food Programme and is engaged in working out the modalities for sending humanitarian assistance of wheat and other items to the Afghan people as early as possible.