PM visits Turkish Embassy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday visited the Turkish embassy in Islamabad to express his condolences to the people of Turkey who have suffered loss of life and property due to the recent earthquake.

The earthquake, which struck last week in Turkey and Syria, has caused a death toll of over 35,000 people, as rescue teams have started to wind down their search for survivors and the aid effort shifts towards the hundreds of thousands of people made homeless by the disaster.

Despite one week passing since the 7.8-magnitude tremor, Turkish media reported that a handful of people are still being pulled from the rubble, and the survivors are facing increasingly desperate conditions due to the lack of hygiene, toilets, and water.

During the visit to the Turkish embassy, Prime Minister Shehbaz was accompanied by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarrar, SAPM Attaullah Tarrar and SAPM Tariq Fatemi.

The prime minister conveyed his condolences to Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Paçaci and prayed for the victims of the deadly earthquake in Turkey. PM Sharif also assured the Turkish ambassador that the government and people of Pakistan stand in strong solidarity with the people of Turkey and that they will continue their rescue and relief efforts until the last affected person is rehabilitated. The prime minister also highlighted the relief efforts of Pakistan for the earthquake victims of Turkey.