EASTERN Turkey was shaken by a major 6.8 magnitude earthquake on Friday which reportedly killed about twenty-two people whilst leaving one thousand others injured. The response of Turkish authorities to the calamity was prompt and we say so given the fact that had it not been so, the fatalities could have been far higher because of the high magnitude of the tremor.
Since the people of Pakistan have close affection and love for their Turkish brothers and sisters, therefore, news of this tragedy aggrieved all and sundry in the country. The top leadership whilst expressing solidarity with the Turkish people offered to lend every possible support in this hour of trial. The fact of the matter is that the people of Pakistan have not forgotten the help and assistance extended by our Turkish brothers during the 2005 earthquake. The way Turkish first lady showed her concern and donated her necklace for the quake victims is still fresh in our minds. Not only in the relief activities but Turkey spent millions of dollars in reconstruction of health and education facilities in quake hit areas of Pakistan. We need to demonstrate the same kind of brotherhood with our Turkish brothers in whatever way we could at this point in time. Then since both Turkey and Pakistan are prone to such calamities and most recently certain parts of Pakistan were also badly affected by heavy rains and snowfall, both the sides should collaborate more closely to further improve their preparedness against such disasters. They need to work collectively to enhance the capacity of their rescue and relief services. Both the countries can learn from each other’s experiences and best practices.
