KARACHI: Pakistan will dispatch 70 tons of relief goods to Myanmar in the wake of a deadly earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said on Monday.
The statement came after Sharif spoke with Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and extended his condolences over the loss of precious lives and property due to the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on Friday.
The Pakistan prime minister assured his country was ready to provide any assistance to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the earthquake, according to Sharif’s office.
“National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan would be dispatching around 70 tons of relief goods to Myanmar in two sorties that would arrive within the next 48 hours to help the earthquake affected people,” he was quoted as saying.
The development came as Myanmar declared a week of national mourning over the devastating earthquake, with hopes fading of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings.
The tempo and urgency of rescue efforts have wound down in Mandalay, one of the worst-affected cities and the country’s second-largest, with more than 1.7 million inhabitants. However, with communications down in much of Myanmar, the true scale of the disaster has yet to emerge and the death toll is expected to rise significantly.
Sharif expressed his confidence in the resilience of the people of Myanmar and hoped that they would soon overcome this natural calamity, according to his office.
The Myanmar junta chief thanked the prime minister and the people of Pakistan for “standing with the people of Myanmar in this hour of need.”
At least 19 deaths have also been confirmed hundreds of kilometers away in Thailand’s capital Bangkok, where the force of Friday’s quake caused a 30-story, under-construction tower block to collapse.
Pakistan to dispatch 70 tons of aid to Myanmar as quake death toll passes 2,000
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Pakistan to dispatch 70 tons of aid to Myanmar as quake death toll passes 2,000
- With communications down, the true scale of the disaster has yet to emerge and the death toll is expected to rise
- At least 19 deaths have also been confirmed in Bangkok, where the quake caused a 30-story tower block to collapse
Pakistan stresses critical role of GSP Plus in enhancing trade amid India-EU deal
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets EU Ambassador Raimundas Karoblis to discuss bilateral trade, investment, GSP Plus scheme
- Pakistan says is reviewing EU’s recent free trade deal with India that analysts fear may erode its tariff advantage under GSP Plus
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stressed the critical role of the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus in enhancing trade with the European Union (EU), as Islamabad reviews the implications of India’s free trade deal with Europe.
India and the EU confirmed this week that they had agreed to a new free trade deal that grants Indian exporters sweeping tariff-free access to the EU. Pakistan’s foreign office said Islamabad is aware of the agreement and will continue to view its trade relationship with the EU as mutually beneficial.
Pakistani financial analysts and exporters have voiced concerns that the deal may erode its tariff advantage under the GSP Plus, which allows duty-free access for many Pakistani exports to the EU in return for commitments on labor rights, human rights and governance.
Sharif met EU’s Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis at the Prime Minister’s House to discuss bilateral ties, trade, investment and other areas of interest between the two sides.
“The Prime Minister emphasized upon the critical role of the GSP Plus scheme in enhancing trade between Pakistan and the EU,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
“And said the Government of Pakistan is committed to working closely with the EU on mutually beneficial trade enhancement initiatives, especially through the GSP Plus.”
The Pakistani premier reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to further strengthen cooperation with the EU in all areas of mutual interest, particularly trade, investment, development, security, migration and climate change.
Karoblis assured Sharif he would continue to work to strengthen Pakistan-EU relations across all spheres. He said the EU would continue to engage closely with Pakistan on enhancing trade under the GSP Plus and through trade promotion activities.
Under GSP Plus scheme, Pakistan currently enjoys duty-free access on around 66% of EU tariff lines, while Indian textile and apparel products previously faced duties of up to 12%.
The shift comes at a fragile moment for Pakistan’s exports. After rising 5% to $32.1 billion last fiscal year, exports fell 9% to $15.2 billion in the first half of the current year through December, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data.
