India mulling to offer humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, likely to join UN initiative

India is mulling to offer humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, even as it is yet to take a call on recognising the war-torn country’s new government, which is likely to be led by the Taliban.

New Delhi is likely to send a representative to a meeting the United Nations will hold on September 13 to discuss and coordinate the international community’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

With no government in place in Kabul, New Delhi is yet to take a call on recognising the new dispensation, which is likely to be formed by the Taliban. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is still considering sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, possibly channelising it through one of the United Nations agencies.

A source in New Delhi said that India was keen to stand by the distressed people of Afghanistan, irrespective of the course of its engagement with any government that might come to power in the conflict-ravaged country.

New Delhi evacuated its envoy and diplomats from Kabul on August 17, less than 48 hours after the Taliban militants entered the capital city culminating its swift military blitz across Afghanistan and President Ashraf Ghani escaped from the country marking the collapse of his Government. But it did not formally shut down the Embassy of India in Kabul, as it would have meant severance of its diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.

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Ever since the Taliban stepped up military campaign a few months back to take advantage of the withdrawal of troops by the United States and its NATO allies, a large number of people left villages in pursuit of safety.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that over half a million people had been internally displaced in Afghanistan in 2021 alone and the number of people forced to flee was still rising and nearly 80 per cent of displaced people were children and women.

Over 3 million people had already been internally displaced in Afghanistan by December 2020 according to the UN agency. The World Food Programme estimated that nearly 12 to 14 million Afghans, including two million already malnourished children, were experiencing food insecurity.

India already made it clear that its “historical relationship” with people of Afghanistan would guide its approach on the future course of engagement between the two nations.

The source in New Delhi pointed out that India had spent $3 billion for development projects in Afghanistan over the past two decades and it would like to continue doing its bit for the people of the country.