Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked the government and people of Turkiye for extending timely support to the flood-stricken people of Pakistan, manifesting fraternal ties between the two countries.
He was talking to a Turkiye delegation led by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Environment Minister Murat Kurum in Islamabad on Friday.
Headed by Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu the delegation is visiting Pakistan to express strong feelings of condolence and solidarity of the government and people of Turkyie with the flood-affected people of Pakistan.
Besides the Turkish interior minister, the delegation comprised Turkish Minister for Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Murat Kurum, Chairman of Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD), Director General for Turkish Low-Cost Housing Agency (TOKI) and others.
The prime minister welcomed the Turkish delegation and thanked them on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan for their warm gesture.
The prime minister expressed his gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his phone call to offer sympathies and condolences over the human and material losses due to the floods and reaffirm Turkiye’s commitment to extend all possible support and dealing with this climate-induced calamity.
He said soon after President Erdogan’s call, Turkiye sent humanitarian relief assistance to Pakistan in the form of tents, food items, medicines and emergency relief goods for the flood victims. So far, 11 Turkish military aircraft and two ‘Goodness Trains’ had been dispatched.
The prime minister said Pakistan was grateful to the Turkish government, people and the business community for sending relief goods for the distressed people of Pakistan within no time.
He said the relief goods were being distributed among the flood victims across all provinces and regions.
Prime Minister Sharif told the delegation that the flash floods had killed over 1000 people including 300 children, besides washing away crops and livestock and rendering millions of the people homeless.
He said he had never seen such a catastrophic situation in his lifetime.
