PESHAWAR: Six units of United Nations aid shipments have arrived at the Torkham and Jamrud for distribution to Afghanistan. Once approved by officials, these containers will be handled accordingly. Customs officials report that two of the shipments are located at the Torkham gate and four are situated at the Jamrud gate. The shipments include medicines and medical supplies.
The aid shipments form a component of Pakistan’s initiatives aimed at supporting Afghanistan amid a lengthy scarcity of food and medical supplies exacerbated by the shutdown of trade channels between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the last 50 days.
Pakistan has chosen to reopen the Torkham and Chaman border crossings to enable the United Nations organizations to assist Afghanistan. This choice comes after discussions with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs driven by the lack of food and medical supplies, in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Commerce has addressed the Director-General of Afghan Transit Trade and the Member of Customs Operations at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), notifying them about the approval to permit aid via the borders. The communication stated that the decision followed a recommendation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to open the borders for UN relief shipments to deliver supplies to the Afghan population.
According to the agreement aid shipments from UNICEF the World Food Programme and the United Nations Population Fund will be processed in stages.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told local news channel that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been partially opened on humanitarian grounds to allow for the delivery of UN aid. While there is no issue with the Afghan people, border trade remains closed for now.
