Turkey, which is grappling with the devastation caused by three earthquakes that have killed more than 8,000 people, including in neighbouring Syria, has cancelled Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the country.
According to a source in the Pakistan Foreign Office, Sharif cancelled his visit on Turkish officials’ request as Ankara is “busy in the earthquake rescue and relief operations”.
PM Sharif, foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto and other officials were supposed to visit quake-hit Turkey for solidarity on Wednesday morning.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Pakistan’s information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said PM Sharif will leave for Ankara on Wednesday morning. “He will express his condolences and condolences to President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan for the destruction of the earthquake, the loss of life, and the people of Turkey. Due to Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey, the APC convened on Thursday is being postponed, a new date will be announced in consultation with the allies,” she added.
Sharif took to Twitter on February 7 expressing solidarity with Turkey that was hit with a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake and then over 5.5 magnitude one within 24 hours. Sharif tweeted, “24 hours after the devastating earthquake hit Turkiye & Syria, scenes of death & destruction are mind numbing. It breaks the heart to witness sheer scale of unfolding human tragedy. Solidarity should translate into tangible & timely material support for suffering humanity.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani civil society and media have criticised Sharif’s planned visit to Turkey amid economic crisis in the country.
The Pakistan government sent medical squads, search and rescue teams, and relief materials via two military aircraft and one passenger plane to Turkey to help rescue victims, according to the military media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement.
The air contingents left for Adana via Special Pakistan Air Force aircraft on February 6 night to carry out relief operations in Turkey. The contingents will stay in Turkey until the rescue and relief operations are not completed, the ISPR said.
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