ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday dispatched another consignment of humanitarian aid to Myanmar, the Pakistani government said, as death toll from last week’s massive earthquake in Myanmar rose to 3,455.
The 7.7-magnitude quake hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states including the capital Naypyitaw. The earthquake left many areas without power, telephone or cell connections and damaged roads and bridges, making the full extent of the devastation hard to assess.
It also worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis triggered by the country’s civil war that has internally displaced more than 3 million people and left nearly 20 million in need, according to the United Nations.
Pakistan dispatched the second aid consignment through an air cargo flight from Islamabad to Yangon, Myanmar that carried 35 tons of essential relief goods, according to Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID).
“Upon arrival, the consignment will be handed over to Ministry of Social Welfare & Resettlement of Myanmar by Pakistan’s Ambassador & Defense Attache in Myanmar,” the PID said in a statement.
“This consignment included tents, tarpaulins, blankets, water modules, medicines and packets of meal ready-to-eat.”
Myanmar military government’s leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has said the earthquake was the second most powerful in the country’s recorded history after a magnitude 8 quake east of Mandalay in May 1912.
He said 4,840 people were injured and 214 missing, according to a report on state television MRTV. Min Aung Hlaing said 5,223 buildings, 1,824 schools, 2,752 Buddhist monasterial living quarters, 4,817 pagodas and temples, 167 hospitals and clinics, 169 bridges, 198 dams and 184 sections of the country’s main highway were damaged by the earthquake.
Earlier, Pakistan’s mission in Myanmar handed over the first consignment of 35 tons of humanitarian assistance to chief minister of Yangon region for onward distribution among those impacted by the disaster.
Islamabad said the critical supplies sent on Saturday were meant to provide immediate relief to the affected population in Myanmar.
“The Government of Pakistan and National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering commitment to humanitarian relief efforts and standing in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in their time of need,” the PID added.
Pakistan dispatches another relief consignment to Myanmar as quake death toll rises to 3,455
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Pakistan dispatches another relief consignment to Myanmar as quake death toll rises to 3,455
- The 7.7-magnitude quake hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states including the capital Naypyitaw
- It also worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis triggered by the country’s civil war that has internally displaced more than 3 million people
Pakistan PM convenes political leaders to discuss Iran crisis, regional tensions
- Leaders of major parties attend meeting on regional security and Pakistan’s military campaign
- Parliamentarians call for national unity and cohesion under current circumstances, says PMO
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed leaders of various parliamentary parties on Wednesday about the ongoing crisis in Iran and Pakistan’s ongoing military conflict with Afghanistan, his office said in a statement.
The meeting comes as Pakistan has intensified military operations against the Afghan Taliban and militant groups targeting its civilians and security forces along its western frontier, while the wider region faces growing instability after recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent attacks across the Gulf.
Sharif decided to convene the session to update the leaders of various political parties in parliament on the security situation and Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach as tensions spread across the region.
“Participants emphasized the need for national unity, consensus and cohesion in the current circumstances,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
The statement said parliamentarians appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for peace in the region and stressed the need to accelerate them further.
They presented suggestions to the government on what its future course of action should be.
“All participants reaffirmed their strong resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country,” the statement said.
Representatives of major political parties, including the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and other parliamentary groups attended the briefing.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory, allegations Kabul denies. Islamabad says it has targeted militant hideouts across the border after repeatedly raising the issue with Afghan officials.
The briefing also comes as the government closely monitors developments in the Middle East, where regional tensions have heightened concerns about energy supplies and broader security implications for the country.
