India at UNSC expresses grief over Afghanistan quake, asserts ready to provide more aid

After more than 1,000 people died in Afghanistan in a 5.9 magnitude earthquake, India at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) expressed its deepest condolences to the victims and their families who were left devastated by the natural disaster. Echoing remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about India standing by Afghanistan in “difficult times”, Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador TS Tirumurti told the council that New Delhi shared the grief of Afghans and is willing to provide assistance. 

Tirumurti said, “At the outset, I express deepest condolences to the victims and their families, and to all those impacted by the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan. India shares the grief of the people of Afghanistan and is ready to provide assistance and support in this hour of need.”

India’s permanent representative to the UN noted that as a continuous neighbour and a long-standing partner of Afghanistan, New Delhi has direct stakes in ensuring the return of peace and stability to the country. Tirumurti said, “Given our strong historical and civilizational linkages to the Afghan people, we are deeply concerned about the recent developments in Afghanistan, especially the deteriorating humanitarian situation.”

He underscored that India backed UNSC Resolution 2615 provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and ensured that the body would continue to ramp up its oversight to guard against any possible diversion of funds and lead to misuse of exemptions from sanctions. The Indian envoy emphasised, “We note the briefing by the Emergency Relief Coordinator on the working of the resolution. We hope that the ‘humanitarian carve outs’ of this Resolution are fully utilized by the UN agencies and their aid partners”. 

“The disbursement of humanitarian aid should be non-discriminatory and accessible to all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, or political belief. In particular, the assistance should reach the most vulnerable first, including women, children, and minorities,” the Ambassador added. 

India dispatched humanitarian aid, sent technical team to Afghanistan

In the wake of the devastation that unfolded in Afghanistan, India has already dispatched multiple shipments of humanitarian assistance of 30,000 MTs of wheat, 13 tons of medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID-19 Vaccine and winter clothing. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar that India is a “true first responder”. 

India said it sent a technical team to Kabul to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance after a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan that state media reported killed 1,000 people.

India's External Affairs Ministry said the team has been deployed to its embassy in Kabul. The embassy has been vacant since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August.

A ministry statement on Thursday didn’t provide details about the technical team or any relief material sent to Afghanistan. It said the team was sent to “closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance” as part of a “continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people.”

Earlier, Prime minister Narendra Modi also condoled the natural disaster that struck Afghanistan and said he was “deeply saddened”. He said, “India stands by the people of Afghanistan in their difficult times and is ready to provide all possible disaster relief material at the earliest.”

India expressed support to Afghanistan after on Wednesday, the country was struck by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in the eastern region. It killed more than 1,000 and left many more wounded. The humanitarian disaster rocked the country at a challenging time of Taliban rule and is already in the throes of hunger and economic crises.

Image: PTI/AP