India has a historical and civilizational relationship with the Afghan people, the MEA said

India on Thursday sent a technical team to Afghanistan and it has been deployed at the Indian Embassy in Kabul to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

India has also flown in aid for the people of Afghanistan in the wake of the earthquake in Wednesday that has caused massive destruction and loss of lives.

Announcing the deployment of the technical team, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India has a historical and civilizational relationship with the Afghan people.

In order to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people, an Indian technical team has reached Kabul today and has been deployed in our Embassy there, the MEA said.

"Our longstanding links with Afghan society and our development partnership including humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan, will continue to guide our approach going forward," the MEA added.

Meanwhile, India "as a first true responder" has dispatched 27 tons of emergency relief assistance in two flights for the people of Afghanistan.

The deadly earthquake in Paktika province near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan is reported to have claimed over 1,000 lives.

According to the MEA, the relief assistance consists of essential items including family ridge tents, sleeping bags, blankets, sleeping mats, etc.The relief consignment will be handed over to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) in Kabul.

"As always, India stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, with whom we share centuries old ties, and remains firmly committed to provide immediate relief assistance for the Afghan people," the MEA said on Friday.

It is worth recalling that a team led by JP Singh, Joint Secretary in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) in the MEA had visited visited Kabul on June 2.

According to the MEA, this was to “oversee delivery operations of our humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan” and meet with senior members of the Taliban. An assessment of the security situation there was also carried out.