Authorities in Turkey have alleged that the aid provided to Pakistan after its destruction by floods in June 2022 was shipped back to them following the devastating earthquake that jolted the sprawling border region of Turkey & Sriya, earlier this month. Officials told that the authorities in Islamabad changed the box outside, but forgot to change the boxes inside.
The revelations come just days after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s two-day visit to the quake-hit nation as a special gesture to show “solidarity and support” with the people of the country. Reportedly, 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.
Several media reports suggest that Pakistan-based journalist Shahid Masood had also claimed on GNN news channel that Islamabad had sent C-130 planes with relief supplies and rescue personnel to the earthquake-hit areas of Turkey. The relief materials sent by Pakistan were the ones that Turkey sent to the Sindh province when the region was hit by floods in 2022.
At least 45,000 people were killed, and millions were left homeless after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s southeast and neighbouring Syria on February 6. The rescue operation has come to an end in all provinces except the two hardest hit- Kahramanmaras and Hatay provinces.
