Zubair Qureshi
The Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) team of the Pakistani army comprising 33 members returned from Turkiye on Friday after completing a 17-day relief & rescue operation conducted in the earthquake-affected areas of the country.
It was the worst natural calamity in recent history that hit Turkiye’s province Kahramanmaraş, killing over 41,000 people and injuring 105,000. The Pakistani team of medics and rescuers carried out the much-needed relief operation by not only providing medical aid to the earthquake victims but by saving eight precious lives also by pulling them alive from under the debris.
Ambassador of Turkiye, Dr Mehmet Pecaci, Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and senior officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the armed forces received the Pakistani rescuers at the airport. On the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, they had left on February 6 immediately after the quake hit the brother country and returned after 17-day non-stop relief operation. According to the NDMA spokesperson, the authority had also arranged to send a 53-member team of Rescue 1122 corps to Turkiye. The officials of the Turkish Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also participated in the ceremony. The Turkish ambassador presented flowers to the returning team and thanked them on behalf of his country.
