ISLAMABAD, Feb 7 (EW): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the world to extend tangible and timely material support to Turkiye and Syria after devastating earthquake killer over 4,000 with several other trapped under the rubble of thousands of razed buildings.
In a tweet, the premier wrote: “24 hours after the devastating earthquake hit Turkiye & Syria, scenes of death & destruction are mind numbing. It breaks the heart to witness sheer scale of unfolding human tragedy”. He said solidarity should translate into tangible and timely material support for suffering humanity.
The confirmed death toll across the two countries has soared above 4,000 after a swarm of strong tremors near the Turkey-Syria border — the largest of which measured at a massive 7.8-magnitude.
The premier and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are expected to leave for Turkiye on Feb 8 to offer condolences amid the devastating earthquake.
Diplomatic sources said the premier would also visit Ankara to have a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A day earlier, Mr Sharif telephoned the Turkish president and conveyed condolences over the destruction caused by the earthquake. Expressing deep grief over the loss of life and property, the prime minister sympathised with the grieved families.
“The people of Pakistan are with their brotherly Turkiye and its people. Pakistan will extend its maximum support to the Turkish government and people to help them cope with the quake-caused destruction,” added PM Shehbaz.
Upon this, President Erdogan thanked the prime minister for the support. He added that he valued the sentiments of the prime minister as well as the Pakistani people.
