Pakistan’s Helping Hand to Earthquake-Hit Turkiye and Syria

By Sajjad Shaukat

More than 28,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, this year.

Turkish disaster agency said on February 11, 2023 that at least 23,700 people were killed and 80,088 others injured by two strong earthquakes. The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centred in Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces.

In Turkey, wide spread destruction was witnessed as many buildings collapsed and infrastructure of many cities and towns destroyed.

The number of deaths in Turkey rose to 24,617 on February 12, this year, while more than 4,500 were killed in Syria.

In Turkey, almost 92,700 people have been evacuated from quake-hit regions so far.

But, the death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and northwestern Syria is approaching 30,000, in wake of rescue. Rescuers are still finding people alive six days later. People are still buried under the rubble and are still sleeping out in the open.

An official of Turkey pointed out that 5,775 buildings had been destroyed in the quake, which had been followed by 285 aftershocks, and tens of thousands of people had been injured.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces—a series of emergency measures are being taken to flood the affected areas with humanitarian relief workers and financial aid, including rescue operation.

Despite heavy winter, poor internet connections and damaged roads between some of the worst-hit Turkish cities, rescue efforts keep on going.

In Syria, the effects of the quake were compounded by the destruction of more than 11 years of civil war.

According to the Syrian civil defence, in the rebel-held northwest, the death toll stands at more than 740 people—hundreds of families were trapped under the rubble and time was running out to save them.

A top UN humanitarian official in Syria also stated that fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles to its response.  The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the death toll in Syrian government-held areas rose to 812.

Residents and rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings.

International aid by many western countries as well as NGOs have started trickling into parts of Turkiye and Syria where rescuers toiled to pull individuals including children from debris in areas, devastated by a massive earthquake.

United Nations warned that at least 870,000 people urgently needed food in the two countries after the quake, which has left up to 5.3 million people homeless in Syria alone.

The United Nations World Food Programme appealed for $77m to provide food rations to at least 590,000 newly displaced people in Turkiye and 284,000 in Syria.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to authorise the opening of new cross-border humanitarian aid points between Turkiye and Syria.

Considering the brotherly relations and to support the earthquake-affected people, Pakistan has started sending tangible material support to both countries.

On February 7, 2023, the first batch of Pakistan Air Force (PAF)- C-130 Hercules aircraft carrying members of search and rescue teams and relief items landed in Turkiye.

Earlier, the Pakistan Army’s media wing—a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that two contingents; urban search and rescue team—comprising rescue experts, sniffer dogs, search equipment and a medical team comprising army doctors, nursing staff and technicians along with 30 bedded mobile hospital, tentage, blankets —and other relief items had been dispatched to Turkiye—the aid contingents have flown to Adana via a special Pakistan Air Force aircraft on the night of February 6-7, 2023. It stated that the contingents would stay in Turkiye until the completion of the relief and rescue operation.

Additionally, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique pointed out that a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) airplane departed from Lahore for Istanbul with a 51-member rescue team and their special equipment—the delivery of relief items.

Pakistan on February 12, this year dispatched another batch of relief goods for Türkiye’s earthquake quake victims.

In this regard, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) indicated on February 11, 2023 that two more relief consignments had been dispatched to Turkiye from Lahore by Pakistan International Airlines and Turkish Airlines, while another consignment of nearly 5 tons of relief goods, including blankets, and winterized tents was dispatched through a Pakistan International Airlines flight on February 12.

Separately, the PAF stated that its aircraft carrying 16.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance donated by people for earthquake victims has reached Adana, southern Turkiye.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also telephoned his Syrian counterpart Hussein Arnous and assured that Islamabad will continue to mobilize all possible resources to help the earthquake victims of Syria, as Pakistan has already sent the first batch of relief goods to Syria.

And Islamabad has established an air, sea, and road corridor to dispatch relief goods to the earthquake victims of Turkey and Syria.

NDMA Chairman Lt-Gen. Inam Haider Malik has already said that Pakistan is ready to provide all needed assistance to brotherly Türkiye and Syria in view of the horrific earthquake.

However, Pakistan Army and other entities are conducting the rescue and relief operations in the quake-ravaged areas of Turkiye and Syria. They also pulled many persons from the debris of destructive buildings.

Prime Minister Shehbaz established the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to support earthquake victims in Turkiye in these difficult times. The federal cabinet has decided to donate their one-month salary to the relief fund. PM Shehbaz further indicated that Pakistan would also help their brothers and sisters in Syria.

A fundraising campaign also has been launched across Pakistan by NGOs, educational institutions and charitable entities to collect funds for the victims of the earthquakes.

Jamat-e-Islami Pakistan, a mainstream religious party, is setting up camps across southern Sindh province to collect relief items for the earthquake-hit people of Türkiye and Syria. The party’s relief wing,-Al-Khidmat Foundation  has already sent rescue teams and trained volunteers to join the ongoing relief and rescue operations in quake-hit areas of Türkiye.

The government of Pakistan Azad Kashmir has set up a “special relief fund” for the earthquake victims of the two countries.

Apart from Pakistan’s aid which includes military and civil contingents, entailing charitable institutions, on individual level, many Pakistanis are also donating money for the people of quake-ravaged regions.

Notably, A Pakistani living in the US has donated $30 million to the families of those who lost their lives and are injured in the two earthquakes in southern Turkiye and Syria. PM Shehbaz remarked: “These are such glorious acts of philanthropy that enable humanity to triumph over insurmountable odds.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that Pakistan would continue assisting the quake-affected brethren and sisters of Turkiye and Syria by continued sending the relief aid.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: [email protected]