ISLAMABAD    -    Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar­if Thursday directed to launch a countrywide fundraising cam­paign for the affectees of earth­quake in Turkiye in line with the brotherly country’s appeal. He appealed to the people to whole­heartedly donate for the quake-hit brothers and sisters of Tukiye.

“Government has decided to expand the ongoing rescue & relief efforts for Türkiye into a countrywide campaign. We will enlist the support of busi­ ness community, religious scholars & ed­ucational institutions. Pakistan will con­tinue to stand by Türkiye in this difficult hour,” the PM tweetd.

The prime minister said, “Along with the donations, we have to give this mes­sage to the people of Turkiye that we are with them.”

He directed the ministers for Educa­tion, Religious Affairs, Finance, Trade and Economic Affairs, and the provincial governments to wholeheartedly partici­pate in the fund-raising campaign.

All segments of society, including the chambers of commerce and industry, business community, philanthropists, religious scholars, and educational insti­tutions should be made part of the cam­paign, he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz directed Min­ister for Education Rana Tanvir Hussain to start the fundraising campaign in the educational institutions. The minister would visit various educational institu­tions and on behalf of the prime minister urge the students for donations.

Special fundraising camps would be set up at educational institutions and the donations collected from the camps would be used for the help of Turkish people. The religious affairs minister would contact the religions segments and scholars, and build public opinion for the help of quake-hit people of Turkiye.

‘COMMITTEE TO STREAMLINE RELIEF ACTIVITIES’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday formed a high-level commit­tee to streamline the relief activities the quake-hit people of Turkiye and Syria. 

The prime minister, who chaired a meeting to review the relief activities, said the committee would ensure sup­ply of relief goods to Turkiye and Syria on priority basis.

The relief goods would be dispatched through land, aerial and sea routes. 

To be headed by Planning Minister Ah­san Iqbal, the committee would comprise Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Information Minister Marriyum Aurang­zeb, Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Religious Affairs Minister Muf­ti Abdul Shakoor, NDMA chairman, Paki­stan’s ambassadors in Turkiye and Syr­ia, and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi. The prime minister ordered to hold fund-raising campaign at schools, colleges and universities. He also ap­pealed to the philanthropists, indus­trialists and business community to take part in the fund-raising for the dis­tressed people of Turkiye and Syria.

He urged the people of Pakistan to do­nate relief goods at the collection centers of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). He also instruct­ed the NDMA to enhance its coordina­tion with the provincial governments to speed up the relief activities.

The prime minister said Pakistan stood by its close friend Turkiye in the hour of distress. He said Turkiye extend­ed support to the people of Pakistan af­ter floods in 2010 and 2022.

Prime Minister Shehbaz also in­structed the authorities concerned to arrange blankets, warm clothes, baby food and tents while ensuring the quality of the relief goods being sent to Turkiye and Syria. The prime min­ister said that despite limited resourc­es, Pakistan would leave no stone un­turned in supporting their Turkish brethren. He said Pakistan established an air corridor to supply relief goods and a convoy of trucks would soon leave for Turkiye and Syria.

The meeting was told that a team along with the equipment for a 30-bed mobile hospital was already serving in Turki­ye while another mobile hospital was being dispatched along with staff and equipment. The prime minister appre­ciated the services of Information Min­ister Marriyum Aurangzeb, her team as well as the Pakistani media to highlight the sufferings of the Turkish brethren among the people of Pakistan. 

Besides, he also lauded the role of Pa­kistan Air Force, Pakistan Internation­al Airlines and NDMA in the relief op­eration. Moreover, rescue and Pakistan Army teams were engaged in relief op­erations in Turkiye. Pakistan’s ambassa­dor in Turkiye apprised the meeting of the statistics of destruction caused by the earthquake in Turkiye.

The prime minister appreciated the ambassador’s performance and and di­rected him to play his role to strengthen contacts between the institutions of Pa­kistan and Turkiye. 

It was told that besides relief goods, rescue teams had reached Turkiye and Syria and taking part in the relief oper­ations.

Besides, the PIA was also ensuring regular flights from Islamabad and Lahore to Turkiye for supply of relief goods. The truckloads of relief goods would also leave for Turkiye and Syr­ia within few days. It was told that a countrywide campaign was also being run for support to the quake victims. The relief amounts can be deposited in the account No. G-12166 of relief fund established by the prime minister. The relief goods can be donated to the ND­MA’s 13 collection centers established across the country. The collection cen­ters would be set up at the district lev­el. Federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, SAPM Tariq Fatemi, NDMA chairman, Pakistan’s ambassadors to Turkiye and Syria and senior officers attended the meeting.