Islamabad: Pakistan said on Friday that it has conveyed to India the details of arrangements Islamabad has put in place for the transportation of wheat to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid and is waiting for a response from New Delhi on the date of dispatch of the first consignment.

Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said at the weekly briefing that India was allowed to send wheat to Afghanistan through Pakistan on humanitarian grounds and on an exceptional basis.

“We have conveyed to the India side, necessary details of arrangements put in place by Pakistan, and for about 3 weeks now, are awaiting further response from India on the date of dispatch and other information regarding the first consignment,” he said.

India had sent a proposal to Pakistan on October 7 seeking the transit facility to send 50,000 tons of wheat and life-saving medicines to the people of Afghanistan via Pakistani soil and it received a response from Islamabad on November 24.

India said last month it was in touch with Pakistani authorities to finalise the modalities for transportation of wheat to Afghanistan through Pakistan.

“We were in touch with Pakistan authorities on the modalities of supply of 50,000 metric tons of wheat as well as other medical supplies as humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. It is a complex operation and I would request you to be patient,” Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi told reporters at a media briefing in New Delhi.

“We will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan such as life-saving medicines and wheat. We had despatched about 1.6 tons of medical supplies as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan on December 11,” Bagchi had said.

He said India was committed to sending more medicines and medical supplies to Afghanistan.

In Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesperson Ahmad said Pakistan wanted to establish peaceful and friendly relations with all its neighbouring countries, including India.

“Pakistan is committed to having a meaningful, constructive and result-oriented dialogue with India, but the onus is on New Delhi to take necessary steps to create an enabling environment,” he said.

India has said that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility, and violence.

India has also told Pakistan that “talks and terror” cannot go together and has asked Islamabad to take demonstrable steps against terror groups responsible for launching various attacks on India.

Ahmad also told reporters that the work on various projects under the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was going on in full swing while new ‘megaprojects’ were also being launched.

“Twenty-seven projects have been conceived and are under various stages of implementation and preparation. We have also expanded CPEC’s ambit by including agriculture, science and technology and IT cooperation,” he said.

Work on major infrastructure projects has continued apace and a number of new megaprojects have been endorsed by the JCC (joint coordination committee) of CPEC, he said.

Ahmad said the new big projects include the Azad Pattan and Kohala hydropower projects, which will help address Pakistan’s food security while ensuring access to green and cost-competitive energy for its industrial growth.

The ambitious CPEC was launched in 2015 when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan.

It aims to connect western China with the Gwadar seaport in southwestern Pakistan through a network of roads, railways and other projects of infrastructure and development.

India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.