ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Ankara on Thursday to show solidarity with earthquake victims, a source at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed on Wednesday, as the combined death toll from the disaster in Turkiye and Syria crossed 40,000.
Sharif had announced he would visit Turkiye when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck parts of the country and Syria on February 6. The total death toll in the two countries has surged to over 40,000, as per international media reports.
However, Sharif postponed his visit to the country last week after Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces that were hit by the major earthquake.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has already sent several planeloads of relief goods to Turkiye and Syria.
“It’s confirmed, Insha’Allah, the prime minister will depart for Ankara tomorrow,” a source at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) told Arab News.
Turkish private TV channel Ulusal published a report saying the Pakistani prime minister would arrive in the country on Thursday. “Prime Minister Şharif, who is scheduled to be in Ankara tomorrow (Thursday), is expected to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,” it added.
Meanwhile, PM Sharif announced last week that Pakistan had decided to expand its ongoing rescue and relief operations for the people of Turkiye into a countrywide campaign. The prime minister had said Pakistan would enlist the support of religious scholars, educational institutions, and the country’s business community to help earthquake victims in the country.
