ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday visited the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad to convey his government’s support and express solidarity with victims of the devastating February 6 earthquakes in Turkey in which over 31,000 people have so far died.
Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci received Sharif and his cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik.
In his remarks, Sharif vowed that Islamabad will continue to support Ankara “in all possible ways” till the rehabilitation of the quake victims.
“The entire Pakistani nation is saddened over the huge damage and loss of lives in the earthquakes. We see it as our own loss,” he said.
Sharif said his government has already launched a countrywide campaign, involving people from all walks of life, including educational institutions, the business community, philanthropists, and others, to collect funds and relief goods for the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
So far, Islamabad has dispatched over 150 tons of relief goods, including winter tents, clothes, blankets, and food items, to quake-stricken areas of Turkey.
Volunteers from different welfare organisations including Edhi and Al-Khidmat Foundation are also involved in search, rescue, and relief activities in different quake-hit regions.
Recalling Turkey’s support to Islamabad after the 2005 earthquake, and in the floods of 2010 and 2022, Sharif said the people and the government of Pakistan “can never forget that.”
The law minister offered to send to Turkey trained doctors and volunteers who had served in Azad Jammu and Kashmir after the 2005 tremblors, which claimed over 80,000 lives.
Pacaci thanked the delegation for continuous support at this trying hour.
