LAHORE    -    Prime Minister Muham­mad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that Pakistan would continue assisting the quake-affected brethren and sisters of Turkiye and Syria by sending the relief aid.

The prime minister chaired a meeting to review the on­going relief efforts on part of Pakistan to provide succour to the quake-affected pop­ulace of Turkiye and Syria. The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ish­aq Dar, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for In­formation and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, PM’s Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi, secretaries of for­eign affairs, aviation, chair­man NDMA and other high officials. The prime minis­ter directed for contacting the educational institutions for running an organized fund-raising campaign. He also asked the ministry of religious affairs to spread awareness in the religious institutions by taking the ulema on board. During the meeting, the prime minis­ter said that Pakistan would bear all the expenses on the supply of relief goods to these countries. He said that the fund established for the earthquake-affected peo­ple of Turkiye would also be utilized to support the quake victims of Syria. She­hbaz Sharif also directed the National Disaster Manage­ment Authority (NDMA) to purchase the required items keeping in view of the needs of the quake victims, adding that Pakistan was not only utilising the air bridge but also ensuring supply of relief assistance through land and sea routes. The prime minis­ter, on the occasion, praised the ministers, authorities, institutions, and personnel who have been making ef­forts for the provision of re­lief to the quake victims. He observed that the Pakistani rescue workers had been playing a major role in res­cuing the people. The prime minister was apprised that relief items including win­terised tents, blankets, quilts and warm clothes were be­ing sent to Turkiye and a large part of this consign­ment had been sent through air bridge.