NEW DELHI, Oct 10: India will airlift on Tuesday the first consignment of 25 tonnes of relief material to quake-hit Pakistan in what is considered as the first humanitarian assistance from New Delhi to Islamabad, United News of India said.

It said the decision to provide relief material such as tents, plastic sheets, blankets, matresses, food items and a variety of medicines and other medical supplies was taken after a meeting with Pakistan High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday evening.

India had also offered to send medical teams and medicines directly to the affected areas which were closer to the Line of Control (LoC) and easier to access from this side, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told reporters.

Asked whether the assistance was being airlifted to Islamabad, Mr Saran said it would be delivered wherever Pakistan wanted and the indication in this regard was still awaited.

To a question why India was not announcing any monetary assistance as had been done by other countries, Mr Saran said these were the items indicated by the Pakistan whose list had been circulated to heads of missions in Islamabad earlier in the day.

Further, India had agreed to allow Pakistani helicopters come close to the LoC to provide relief to the affected people.

Normally, helicopters were not allowed to come close to the LoC, the Foreign Secretary said.

More relief would be provided to Pakistan, depending upon requirements, he said.

Opinion

Four hundred seats?

Four hundred seats?

The mix of divisive cultural politics and grow­th-oriented economics that feeds Hindu middle-class ambition and provides targeted welfare are key ingredients in the BJP’s political trajectory.

Editorial

Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...
Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.