Afghan delegation concludes visit after Pakistan promises to consider transit of Indian wheat

ISLAMABAD: An Afghan ministerial delegation that held several high-profile meetings in Islamabad flew back to Kabul, confirmed the foreign office on Saturday, after Prime Minister Imran Khan assured its members his administration would consider an Indian proposal to transport wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.
The Afghan delegation, which was led by interim foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday to discuss enhanced trade, cross-border movement, land and aviation links, and regional connectivity.
The visit was in continuation of Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s diplomatic engagements in Kabul last month where he met with the new Afghan administration’s officials and held important meetings to set the future direction of the bilateral relations between the two countries.
According to an official statement issued on Friday, Prime Minister Khan said his country would consider the Indian proposal concerning wheat transportation to Afghanistan after determining its modalities.
“The Prime Minister conveyed that in the current context Pakistan would favorably consider the request by Afghan brothers for transportation of wheat offered by India through Pakistan on exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes and as per modalities to be worked out,” said the statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Pakistan has frequently accused India of being a “spoiler” in Afghanistan and held the administration in New Delhi responsible for regional instability.
The country’s national security adviser Moeed Yusuf also turned down an Indian invitation to a conference on Afghanistan for the same reason earlier this month.
However, the official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office not only confirmed the Indian offer to help Afghanistan but also highlighted the eagerness of the Afghan Taliban to benefit from it.
Among other engagements, the Afghan delegation met senior foreign diplomats from the United States, China and Russia who had arrived in Islamabad to attend the “troika plus” meeting on Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced after the forum’s meeting that representatives of the Taliban government had been invited to the next “troika plus” conference in Beijing.
“By their physical presence in troika plus they can share their concerns directly to international community,” he maintained.
During their stay in Pakistan, the Afghan delegation also met parliamentarians in Islamabad who expressed hope that stability in Afghanistan would lead to greater regional trade and connectivity.