At the United Nations, India pledges to help Afghanistan after the deadly earthquake

A powerful earthquake killed at least 1,000 people and injured 1,500 others in eastern Afghanistan.

New York:

In a UN Security Council briefing on Afghanistan, India expressed its sincere condolences to the victims and their families affected by the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan and pledged assistance and support at this difficult hour.

Addressing the council, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador TS Tirumurti, said: “At the outset, I express my deepest condolences to the victims and their families, and to all those affected by the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan. India shares their grief in Afghanistan and is ready to offer assistance and support in this hour of need. “.

Mr. Tirumurti noted that India, as Afghanistan’s immediate neighbor and long-term partner, has direct interests in ensuring the return of peace and stability to the country.

“Given our strong historical and civilizational links with the Afghan people, we are deeply concerned about recent developments in Afghanistan, especially the deteriorating humanitarian situation,” he added.

The ambassador emphasized that India supports Security Council Resolution 2615 which provides for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, while ensuring that the Security Council continues to exercise its oversight to guard against any possible transfer of funds and abuse of sanctions waivers.

“We note the Emergency Relief Coordinator’s briefing on the work of the resolution. We hope that the ‘humanitarian parts’ of this resolution will be fully utilized by UN agencies and their assistance partners,” stressed Mr. Tirumurti.

India reiterated that humanitarian assistance should be based on the principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. The ambassador noted that “the disbursement of humanitarian aid must be non-discriminatory and accessible to all, regardless of race, religion or political belief. In particular, aid must reach the most vulnerable groups first, including women, children and minorities.” during the briefing.

In response to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, India has sent several shipments of humanitarian aid consisting of 30,000 metric tons of wheat, 13 tons of medicine, 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and winter clothes.

These humanitarian shipments were delivered to Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, Kabul, and United Nations specialized agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP).

To ensure fair and equitable distribution of Indian wheat aid, the Government of India has signed an agreement with UNWFP to distribute 50,000 metric tons of wheat within Afghanistan. This wheat has already begun to be sent to Afghanistan.

Moreover, to oversee the utilization of medical aid and food grain aid in India and to assess the humanitarian requirements of the Afghan people, an Indian team visited Kabul recently (on 2 and 3 June) and met with representatives of international organizations involved in the distribution of humanitarian aid.

In addition, the team also visited places where Indian programs and projects are being implemented such as Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, Habibiya Secondary School, Shemtala Power Substation and UNFPA Wheat Distribution Centre.

“We are now in the process of shipping more medical aid and food grains to Afghanistan. We have also provided one million doses of COVAXIN “made in India” vaccines to Iran to administer to Afghan refugees in Iran. In addition, we have helped UNICEF by providing nearly 60 One million doses of polio vaccine and 2 tons of essential medicines.”

Mr. Tirumurti said India’s approach to Afghanistan, as always, will be guided by the country’s historical friendship and special relationship with the people of Afghanistan.

He added that the expectations of the international community on the way forward in Afghanistan were clearly set out in Security Council Resolution 2593 and later confirmed, including Security Council Resolution 2626.

“These are related to ensuring that the territory of Afghanistan is not used for terrorist attacks against other countries; forming a truly inclusive and representative government; combating terrorism and drug trafficking; and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities.” He said.

Further speaking, Mr. Tirumurti noted that India closely monitors the security situation in Afghanistan and actively engages with the international community to ensure consensus on issues of security, peace and stability.

India also strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Gurudwara Dashmish Peta Sahibji in Kabul on June 18. “The terrorist attack on the places of worship of minorities and the targeting of the innocent civilian population remains a source of serious concern,” the ambassador said.

“The recent findings of the 1988 Sanctions Committee Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report indicate that the current authorities need to take much stronger action to fulfill their counter-terrorism obligations. There is a significant increase in the presence of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL-K) in the country And their ability to carry out attacks. It is said that ISIS in Khorasan, and its base in Afghanistan, continues to issue threats of terrorist attacks on other countries.”

The ambassador went on to say that the report also indicated that the Taliban has not yet separated from other terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda which are still active.

“Links between UN Security Council-listed groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, as well as provocative statements by other terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan pose a direct threat to the region. There are, therefore, serious concerns that need our immediate attention and our united action to ensure that Afghanistan does not become A haven for other terrorist organizations including ISIS-K, Al Qaeda, JeM and LeT We need to see tangible progress in ensuring such a ban Terrorists, entities or their aliases receive no support, tacit or direct, either from Afghan soil or from Terror havens located in the region,” said Mr. Tirumurti while outlining the need to combat acts of terrorism.

On the political front, he said, India continues to advocate an inclusive system in Afghanistan that represents all segments of Afghan society. The ambassador added that forming a broad, inclusive and representative base is necessary for both local and international participation.

Furthermore, Mr. Tirumurti spoke about the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, saying: “We are deeply concerned about recent developments in Afghanistan that directly affect the well-being of women and girls in Afghanistan. There has been an increasing attempt to remove women from public life in Afghanistan. We join others in calling to ensure that the rights of women and girls are protected and that the gains made so long ago in the past two decades are not reversed.”

At the conclusion of his briefing, Mr. Tirumurti stressed that peace and security in Afghanistan are critical imperatives for which all must work collectively.

“India will continue to play its part in pursuit of this goal. The interests of the Afghan people will remain at the heart of our efforts in Afghanistan,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by the NDTV crew and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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