Ghani thanks Turkey, Qatar for helping out flood victims

Sindh Labour and Human Resources Minister Saeed Ghani has said several brotherly countries have been striving hard to help with complete rehabilitation of the flood victims in Pakistan.

He stated this on Friday at the Karachi airport, where he met Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum, who have come to Pakistan to oversee the assistance their country is providing to the flood victims in Pakistan.

Turkish Consul General in Karachi Jamal Sangu was also present on the occasion. Sindh Minister for Social Welfare Sajid Jokhio, and officials of the Pakistan Army and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority also met the Turkish delegation.

Ghani said the visit to Pakistan by the Turkish interior and environment ministers would go a long way to boost the morale of the country in making massive flood relief efforts. He expressed gratitude to the Turkish delegation for providing emergency relief for the flood-hit population in the country. He said Turkey had been a time-tested friend of Pakistan that had always provided support whenever the country faced any natural calamity or disaster.

The Turkish ministers brought with them the special message of the president of their country, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for condoling deaths and voicing his concern over other material losses due to massive monsoon rains and floods.

The Turkish delegation members said they shared the grief and sorrow of Pakistan due to massive causalities and homelessness of people due to heavy floods and rains. They said the Turkish nation and people fully stood with Pakistani brethren at this hour of trial and tribulation.

The Turkish ministers said they had come to Pakistan to give the firm assurance that Turkey would continue to support rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts for the flood victims till the completion of the ongoing relief operation. They said they had planned to visit the calamity-hit parts of Pakistan and would inform the Turkish president about the scale of devastation due to floods in the country.

Ghani appreciated the announcement of the Turkish ministers that they would remain in Pakistan till the complete rehabilitation of the flood victims. Later, the Sindh labour minister, along with Qatari Consul General in Karachi Mishal M Ansari, received a plane from Qatar that had brought relief goods, medicines, doctors and paramedical staff for the flood victims

He said that the Qatari government and people had started helping out the people in distress in Pakistan soon after the flood disaster wreaked havoc on the country. He said the Qatari doctors and paramedical staff would immediately start their relief operation in the flood-hit parts of the country.

The Qatari consul general said Pakistan and Qatar had exemplary fraternal ties as his country would provide maximum support to the flood victims in the country.

Navy relief operations

The Pakistan Navy’s diving and emergency response teams continued with their rescue and relief operations in flood-affected areas across the country, including Dera Ismail Khan, Rajanpur, Jampur and Fazilpur.

Rescue teams having air assets, motorized boats and lifesaving equipments are providing all-out support and reaching out to people in far-flung remote areas.