Islamabad: Pakistan government has offered immediate assistance to Afghanistan where a powerful earthquake struck a mountainous region, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring hundreds more.
Pakistani authorities and institutions are “working to extend required assistance to Afghanistan in coordination with their relevant institutions,” the ministry of foreign affairs said on Wednesday.
The Government and people of Pakistan extended their deepest condolences and sympathies over the loss of precious lives and damage to property in the neighbouring country.
“The people of Pakistan stand in strong solidarity with their Afghan brethren in this difficult time. We have no doubt that the brotherly Afghan people will overcome the effects of this natural calamity with their characteristic resilience,” the foreign office said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives in Afghanistan. The prime minister said Pakistan stands with Afghan brothers and sisters in this difficult time. “People in Pakistan share the grief and sorrow of their Afghan brethren,” he said, directing the authorities concerned to assist the affected people in Afghanistan.
President Dr Arif Alvi expressed sympathies for those who lost their lives in the deadly earthquake and prayed for the deceased and wished quick recovery to the injured. Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this hour of need,” he said.
Pakistan’s armed forces said that they are “ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.”
KP province sending relief goods
The former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan said that he had asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to especially facilitate the provision of all medical assistance to the neighbouring country. KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan announced that the province would send medical teams to Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
Relief goods such as medicines, groceries and other aid will also be dispatched, he said. The tremors were also felt in different cities of Pakistan including Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Kohat, Mohmand and Swat.
The massive earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of Wednesday. The Taliban government requested immediate humanitarian support and announced 1 billion afghanis (over $11 million) in cash and other assistance.
