Pakistan PM visits Turkish Embassy to express solidarity with quake victims

Pakistan's 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 Feb. 6 earthquakes in Turkiye 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 Chairman National Disaster Management Authority, Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, state media said.

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, business community, philanthropists and others, to collect funds and relief goods for the earthquake victims in Turkiye 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 Turkiye.

Volunteers from different welfare organizations including Edhi and Al-Khidmat Foundation are also involved in search, rescue and relief activities in different quake-hit regions.

Recalling Turkiye's support to Islamabad after the 2005 earthquake, and in 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 Türkiye trained doctors and volunteers who had served in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after the 2005 tremblors, which claimed over 80,000 lives.

Pacaci thanked the delegation for continuous support at this trying hour.