A car drives past collapsed buildings in Antakya, southern Turkey on February 20, 2023. AFP.
Ankara: Cash-strapped Pakistan has been getting international condemnation and embarrassment, not for its dwindling economic condition but over relief material it had sent to Turkey after the recent earthquake. The Turkish counsel has now registered protest against Islamabad for sending Ankara’s own flood relief material by repackaging them.
Over the weekend, Pakistan, that has been reeling under acute economic crisis, dispatched aid to earthquake-affected Turkey which were similar to what Ankara had sent to Islamabad during last year’s devastating floods.
The revelation was made by senior Pakistani journalist Shahid Masood during TV discussion on a local channel. As per Masood, authorities in Pakistan had just changed the box outside and forgot to change the boxes inside, resulting in a mix-up.
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“The materials reached Turkey from Sindh. They even carried the tags ‘Govt of Sindh’ and ‘Govt of Pakistan.’ On being opened, it emerged that they were the same packets that Turkey had sent as a token of love after the floods. The same had been repackaged and sent as relief,” Masood said.
The revelation comes amid the recent visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Turkey. Sharif visited Ankara on Thursday and assured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “steadfast support.”
Sharif and his foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were initially scheduled to reach Turkey on 8 February, just two days after the devastating earthquake had hit the region. They were asked to defer the visit in wake of Turkish leaders’ engagements in relief and rescue work.
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Several nations worldwide have united in their efforts to aid those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
For the unversed, Muslim-majority Pakistan and Turkey enjoy cordial relations. Also, both the nations are members of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and often support each other on several international issues.
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