Following an earthquake that killed over a thousand people in Afghanistan, India on Thursday sent a military aircraft carrying relief assistance to Kabul and deployed “a technical team” at its embassy in the country.
The Indian external affairs ministry in a statement said that an Indian technical team arrived in Kabul on Thursday and “has been deployed in our embassy there to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people.”
The statement also hinted at a recent trip by an Indian delegation to Kabul and said it had visited Kabul “to oversee the delivery operations of our humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and met with senior members of the Taliban.”
“During the visit, an assessment of the security situation was also carried out,” the statement added.
The Indian external affairs ministry said India’s “longstanding links with Afghan society and our development partnership including humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan, will continue to guide our approach going forward.”
Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for India’s External Affairs Ministry, said in a tweet that the first consignment of India’s earthquake relief assistance for the people of Afghanistan has arrived in Kabul.
On June 2, an Indian delegation led by the country’s External Affairs Ministry’s joint secretary, J.P. Singh, visited Kabul, which was the first meeting of India’s diplomats with Afghan officials after the fall of the previous government in Afghanistan.
