PM Shehbaz Sharif leaves for Turkey to visit earthquake areas 

PM Shehbaz visit Turkey: To show his support and solidarity “with the people of Türkiye” in the wake of the devastating earthquake on February 6, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif flew out to Turkiye on Thursday.

The PM will personally offer President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the sincere sympathies of the whole Pakistani people for the loss of precious lives and the extensive devastation brought on by the earthquake during his stay in Ankara, according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO).

He will reaffirm Pakistan’s steadfast promise to support the Turkish people through these trying times and to keep providing all available assistance to the ongoing relief operation.

The Prime Minister will also travel to southern Turkey’s earthquake-affected regions, where he will meet with both earthquake survivors and the Pakistani search and rescue teams that have been stationed there, according to FO.

The statement went on to say that Pakistan and Turkey have strong fraternal relations and have steadfastly supported one another through all difficulties.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria in February claimed thousands of lives, completely destroyed towns and cities, and rendered hundreds of thousands homeless in the dead of winter.

Early in the afternoon, another significant earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 followed it.

After the earthquake, the prime minister mandated the creation of a relief fund to aid Turkiye’s earthquake victims. Marriyum Aurangzeb, the minister of information, announced that the cabinet would contribute one month’s pay to the fund.

However, Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to mobilize all available resources, including winterized tents, blankets, and other vital life-saving supplies for Turkiye.