PM meets Turkiye’s Erdogan, expresses condolences over loss of lives in earthquake

ANKARA: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif met Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday and expressed his heartfelt condolences over the loss of precious human lives in the wake of massive earthquake, ARY News reported.

The Prime Minister, who was in Turkiye on a two-day visit to express solidarity with the Turkish people, was received upon arrival at the Presidential Palace by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During their tete-a-tete as well as during the delegation level talks, the Prime Minister extended heartfelt condolences to President Erdogan and the Turkish nation on the tragic loss of thousands of precious lives and massive damage to the infrastructure as a result of devastating earthquakes.

Recalling the fraternal relations between Pakistan and Türkiye, the Prime Minister said that the people of Pakistan felt the same pain and anguish as their Turkish brothers and sisters.

The Prime Minister said the people of Pakistan will not rest until the last person in the earthquake affected areas has been fully rehabilitated.

President Erdogan thanked the Prime Minister for Pakistan’s strong and steadfast support to Türkiye in the wake of the devastating earthquake. He reaffirmed that the resolute Turkish nation will emerge from this natural calamity with greater strength and determination than ever.

The Prime Minister is visiting Türkiye as a special gesture to express Pakistan’s solidarity and support to Türkiye in the wake of the massive earthquakes in Türkiye.

The Prime Minister will also visit earthquake affected areas and interact with Pakistani rescue and recovery teams on the ground.

The earthquake

With chances of finding more survivors growing more remote, the toll in both countries from earthquake and major aftershocks rose above 40,000 and looked set to keep growing. It was the deadliest quake in Turkiye since 1939.

In a central district of one of the worst hit cities, Antakya in southern Turkey, business owners emptied their shops on Sunday to prevent merchandise from being stolen by looters.

Residents and aid workers who came from other cities cited worsening security conditions, with widespread accounts of businesses and collapsed homes being robbed.

Facing questions over his response to the earthquake as he prepares for a national election that is expected to be the toughest of his two decades in power, President Tayyip Erdogan has said the government will deal firmly with looters.

In Syria, the disaster hit hardest in the rebel-held northwest, leaving homeless yet again many people who had already been displaced several times by a decade-old civil war. The region has received little aid compared to government-held areas.

Read More: PM Shehbaz Sharif vows to extend every possible support to Turkiye

Relief fund

PM Shehbaz Sharif had ordered the establishment of a relief fund to support victims of the deadly earthquake in Turkiye that has claimed over 3,000 lives.

The confirmed death toll across the two countries has soared above 5,000 after a swarm of strong tremors near the Turkey-Syria border — the largest of which measured at a massive 7.8-magnitude.

In a tweet, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the cabinet will donate one month’s salary to the fund. She further said the premier has appealed to the philanthropists to extend help.