ISLAMABAD: An Etihad flight carrying a new consignment of medical supplies arrived in Islamabad on Sunday morning after it was dispatched by the UAE government to support Pakistan in its anti-virus fight, Emirati envoy Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi said.

“The second batch of medical aid containing 11 tons of medical supplies to Pakistan is a testament of the fraternal bond shared between both the countries, and the commitment of Abu Dhabi to stand by the Pakistani people during the exceptional crisis gripping the world,” UAE’s Ambassador to Pakistan said in a statement released on Sunday.

It follows the delivery of UAE’s first consignment – comprising 20,000 testing kits and 30 cartons of hand sanitizers – to Pakistan on Wednesday.

As of Sunday, Pakistan had reported 45 deaths, with nearly 3,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country.

According to projections submitted to the apex court on Saturday, the Ministry of Health anticipates that the number of cases will cross the 50,000 mark by the end of this month.

“The second phase of medical assistance to Pakistan is a pioneering model and a realistic evidence of the success of humanitarian efforts of the UAE leadership in their quest to provide support and assistance to the friendly people of Pakistan which is an established approach in the Emirates’ foreign policy since the era of its founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,” Al Zaabi said.

He added that “the bilateral relations between the UAE and Pakistan are based on mutual affinity and respect,” and have flourished to partnerships in many fields, stressing that “friendship and close linkages between the two countries is a key element of this partnership.”

In his concluding remarks, the envoy reiterated that the core reason for the bilateral relations is “humanity which is the most essential and basic focus in the Emirates’ humanitarian policies.”

“There are many evidences of this fact embodied today by the arrival of the second-air lifted supplies,” he said.