ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi expressed his condolences to China on Wednesday for an earthquake in Sichuan province and said Pakistan stood with Beijing in challenging times.
The presidential office said Alvi offered his “sympathy and concern” after Monday’s quake in southwestern China which killed at least 74 people.
“I assure you the people and the government of Pakistan stand with […] China with the same spirit as the Chinese people are standing with the victims of unfolding super floods,” he said.
The 6.8 magnitude quake that struck just after noon Monday in Sichuan province caused extensive damage to homes in the Ganze Tibetan Autonomous Region and shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, whose 21 million citizens are under a strict Covid-19 lockdown.
Following the quake, police and health workers refused to allow anxious residents of apartment buildings out, adding to anger over the government’s strict “zero-Covid policy” mandating lockdowns, quarantines and other restrictions, even while the rest of the world has largely reopened.
The death toll, the government reported Wednesday, has jumped to 74 with another 26 people still missing, as frustration rose with uncompromising lockdown measures.
President Alvi said he was deeply saddened and grieved to hear about the devastating earthquake.
“On behalf of the people of Pakistan, and myself, I wish to convey my deepest condolences to the Chinese leadership and my heartfelt sympathies to the people of Sichuan,” he said.
The president expressed hope the missing people would soon be reunited with their families and that the people of the earthquake-hit areas would rebuild their homes and resume normal life as soon as possible.
He expressed confidence that China was “fully capable to win the battle against this natural calamity with their proven abilities and resilience”.
— With input from AP
