Return gift? Did Pakistan just send back to Turkey the aid it received for floods? –

If reports are to be believed, the Pakistani government has repackaged the aid it had received from Turkey during the 2022 floods and delivered it back as earthquake relief material to the disaster-struck country. The Turkish authorities, upon opening the relief material found it had the message they had written for the Pakistani flood victims last year. The Turkish relief material was delivered to Sindh, a southwestern region of Pakistan which was one of the worst-hit areas due to the flood, according to Pakistani media reports. It appears, the same package was repurposed, repackaged and delivered to Ankara. 

The consulate general has reportedly raised the matter in front of Pakistan’s External Affairs Ministry after not being overly impressed. 

The revelation has come as another egg-on-the-face moment for the Pakistani government. Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was left red-faced after Ankara told him to postpone his visit to the earthquake-hit region. 

Notably, Sharif, alongside his foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was ready to leave for Turkey, two days after the earthquake had battered the region. 

Moreover, some reports have claimed that Pakistan allegedly denied India the airspace to carry relief material to Turkey. 

Countries from around the world have come together to help the people in quake-hit areas of Turkey and Syria. However, Pakistan’s antics may not have gone down well with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

What has happened in Turkey?

Turkey and Syria were ravaged by a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake nearly a fortnight ago. The deadly earthquake was followed by nearly same-magnitude aftershocks that exacerbated the damage before the people had managed to seek protection. 

As of the last reports, over 44,000 have died across the two countries. The rescue and rehabilitation process is currently underway and could take several weeks to conclude. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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