Pakistan’s PM Sharif to visit Ankara, meet Erdogan after quakes

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to visit Ankara Thursday to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in a show of support as the country reels from the consequences of the two devastating earthquakes that claimed several lives and caused massive destruction, Daily Sabah reports.

Sharif visited the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad on Monday and highlighted that Islamabad would 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 loss," he maintained.

The Pakistani premier 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 Turkiye and Syria.

Pakistan on Wednesday dispatched 6.7 tons of relief goods, primarily winterized tents, for Türkiye's earthquake victims, the country's disaster management authority said.

The fresh consignment, part of Islamabad's ongoing support to the quake-hit citizens of Türkiye and Syria, was dispatched through a Pakistan International Airlines flight, said a statement from the National Disaster Management Authority.

Islamabad has already dispatched over 150 tons of relief goods, including tents, clothes, and food items, aside from army and civilian-trained volunteers and rescue teams to Türkiye's quake-stricken regions.

Several Pakistani charities, including Al-Khidmat Foundation, Baitussalam Welfare Trust, and Edhi Foundation, have also been engaged in the relief and rescue operations in different earthquake-hit areas.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's mainstream religious party Jamat-e-Islami on Tuesday handed over the first installment of funds, a cheque for Rs 20 million ($75,000) for the earthquake victims to the Turkish Consul General in Karachi Cemal Sangu.

The Jamat's Karachi chief, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, visited the consulate and handed over the cheque.