India reaffirms commitment to continued humanitarian support for Afghanistan, dispatches medicines, CT scanner

During the meeting, India reaffirmed its commitment to continued humanitarian support for Afghanistan, with emphasis on the long-term supply of medicines and health assistance as a key pillar of bilateral engagement.

As part of this engagement, a symbolic handover of cancer medicines and vaccines was carried out, reflecting India's commitment to supporting the medical needs of the Afghan people.

Extending this support beyond the symbolic gesture, a larger consignment of medicines and vaccines, along with a 128-slice CT scanner, is also being dispatched to Afghanistan to strengthen healthcare services in the country.

This engagement followed the Ministry of External Affairs of India welcoming the Afghan Minister of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, on his first official visit to the country a day earlier, providing the diplomatic backdrop for the health-focused discussions.

The visit reflects India's enduring support for Afghanistan's healthcare system, underscoring continuity in humanitarian outreach despite evolving regional dynamics.

Highlighting this approach, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X, "A warm welcome to the Afghan Minister of Public Health, H.E. Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, on his first official visit to India. The visit reflects India's enduring support for Afghanistan's healthcare system, and we look forward to productive discussions."

Jalali's visit is part of a broader pattern of official exchanges between the two countries.

In October, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India for the first time since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan.

Speaking to ANI during that visit, Muttaqi expressed gratitude for the reception he received, saying, "The journey has been very good so far. Not just the people of Darul Uloom, but all the people of the area have come here. I am grateful for the warm welcome they extended to me."

He added, "The future of India-Afghanistan relations seems very bright."

Continuing this sequence of engagements, Afghanistan's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, visited New Delhi in November for a five-day official trip, during which discussions focused on economic ties.

During the visit, Union Minister Piyush Goyal met with Azizi to discuss enhancing economic cooperation and expanding bilateral trade.

"Our discussions reflected a shared commitment to advancing economic cooperation and expanding bilateral trade by facilitating the smoother movement of goods and investment. We reaffirmed our resolve to deepen our mutually beneficial partnership and further strengthen people-to-people ties," Goyal said.

Azizi also met officials from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and emphasised that his visit aimed to "enhance the bilateral economic cooperation and the historical relations with India," while calling for further improvement in ties between the two nations. (ANI)