Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: A convoy of trucks carrying relief assistance for the quake-affected population of Afghanistan has left for Khost on Wednesday night under the direction of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
The relief consignment includes tents, covers, blankets and medicines which would be handed over to the Afghan authorities.
The Prime Minister has directed for dispatch of the relief goods on humanitarian grounds after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled eastern parts of Afghanistan, leaving a trail of destruction and human casualties.
According to details, a convoy of 8 trucks was being loaded with relief items from NDMA-provided stores which included 200 tents, 200 tarpaulin and 500 blankets, besides three trucks carrying life-saving drugs.
The convoy of trucks carrying relief aid would reach Khost, Afghanistan via Ghulam Khan Kalay Zang where it would be handed over the Afghan authorities.
The relevant authorities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and others were in close contact with the Afghan authorities for the transportation and supply of these relief goods.
In a statement, 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 assistance will also be dispatched, he said, directing the provincial health ministry and chief secretary to take immediate steps in this regard.
President Dr Arif Alvi expressed sympathies for the deceased and the injured people. “Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this hour of need,” he said.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also extended deep sorrow over the tragedy and urged the international community to play its role in providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Separately, a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “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.”
It added that Pakistani authorities and institutions were coordinating with relevant Afghan institutions to extend required assistance in the affected areas.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar said Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza and the services chiefs expressed their deepest condolences over the loss of precious lives and damage to infrastructure.
“Armed forces of Pakistan are ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to people of Afghanistan,” he said.
Meanwhile, former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan said that he had asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to especially facilitate provision of all medical assistance to the neighbouring country.
