India on Monday slammed Pakistan for its reported move to deny transit facility for the wheat to be supplied to Afghanistan, terming it as 'unfortunate, inhuman and politically motivated.'
The Pakistan charge is incorrect. Our wheat is free from all diseases,” Union food minister Shanta Kumar said, reacting to the Pakistan charge that the Indian wheat to be transported to Afghanistan under the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) was 'infested with germs and diseases.” “Pakistan has been a party in the destruction of Afghanistan. Now it is time to do penance,” the minister told a meet-the-press programme here. “I only hope the report is not true. If it is true it is unfortunate,” he said.
Pakistani agriculture ministry officials had said they would not allow the about 50,000 tonnes of wheat to pass through their territory, fearing contamination from the so-called karnal bunt fungus.
Asked how India was going to carry the wheat if Pakistan stuck to its decision, he said “the supply is under the WFP and they will manage to take it to Afghanistan. I will appeal to Pakistan to behave like a good neighbour. Pakistan should help India to help Afghanistan.”
No country to where the Indian wheat was being exported had ever complained about quality. India ranked seventh among 27 wheat producing nations in the world, he said. “I refute the allegation. There is no question of giving poor quality wheat to Afghanistan,” Mr Kumar said. He said it was unfortunate that Pakistan had come out with this protest when efforts were on to improve the relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the WFP promised to inspect
Indian wheat for a fungus before it is shipped to Afghanistan. The WFP
said in a statement that the Indian government agrees to let WFP experts
inspect and take delivery of the wheat. -Agencies