The Pakistan government was left red-faced after authorities in Turkey found that the relief materials they sent to Pakistan when it was ravaged by the floods in June 2022 were shipped back to them following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey and Syria on February 6.
People familiar with the developments said that the relief material sent to Turkey were the ones that Turkey sent to the Sindh province when the region was hit by floods.
People mentioned above also told CNN-News18 that the authorities in Pakistan changed the box outside but forgot to change the boxes inside.
The message inside the box read that these materials were sent by the people of Turkey to the people of Pakistan to help them fight the devastating effects of the floods, while the boxes outside carried the message that these materials are sent by the people of Pakistan to help cope with the earthquake.
The consulate general raised the matter before the Pakistan External Affairs Ministry.
The matter was also discussed by local news media outlets who expressed their disappointment with the government over the incident.
Earlier, Pakistan was left red-faced when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was told to postpone his visit to the earthquake-hit nation.
Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wanted to visit Turkey two days after the earthquake struck but were asked to postpone their visit as the government was busy with rescue and relief operations.
The move was also criticised by the people of Pakistan since they did not approve of a delegation visiting Turkey on taxpayer money at a time when the nation was unable to import essential items due to an ongoing economic crisis.
However, Sharif made the visit on Friday and met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and conveyed his nation’s “heartfelt condolences” over the damage and loss of precious lives due to the earthquake.
“I am leaving for Türkiye with a message of unwavering solidarity and support for our Turkish brothers and sisters from the people and government of Pakistan. True to the spirit of one nation living in two states, we consider their loss as ours,” Sharif tweeted.
The death toll due to the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on February 6 has now crossed 44,000.
