Joining a wave of solidarity and support for Pakistan that has swept across Turkey in the wake of catastrophic earthquake, the Turkish students have raised $10 million as relief assistance for the quake victims.
The campaign of the Turkish students is not over yet and is likely to add substantially to the amount in a manifestation of indelible bonds of close relationship between the two countries.
Turkish Education Minister Hussain Chelik informed his Pakistani counterpart Javed Ashraf Qazi that this gesture of the university, college and school students signifies Turkey's sharing of sufferings of the quake victims and carrying over of warm relationship to next generations of the two countries.
Chelik's Ministry had moved immediately after the October 8 earthquake- the worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history- and wrote letters to parents of the students for immediate collection of donations.
The letters reminded the parents that Turkey is eternally indebted to Pakistan for its invaluable support to them during the war of independence.
"It's time we express our feelings of love and affection for Pakistan," the letter adds, motivating students and evoking an overwhelming response from the cross-section of Turkish society.
The Muslims of the sub-continent fully supported Turkey's territorial integrity and sovereignty during the first half of the last century. Later, Pakistan after its inception in 1947 has stood by Turkey at all international forums in times of trial and tribulation.
Pakistan's ambassador to Ankara, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah revealed the outpouring of sympathy by the Turkish people since October 8's deadly quake, which has claimed more than 50,000 lives in NWFP and AJK and left a trail of destruction.
"I have never witnessed anything like that in my life- each Turkish heart is grieved and pulsating with support for Pakistan," he told APP as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured his country's fullest support in a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.
A man in Turkey rang up at the Pakistan Embassy and said he felt deeply ashamed for not being able to donate enough money for the quake-affected people of Pakistan but would like to offer all blood running in his veins for recovery of the injured.
Men and women contacted the Pakistan embassy in large numbers and said they were ready to sell all their belongings, including ornaments as a humble contribution to relief efforts in the hour of trial.
A school student begged his teacher to lend some money to him for donating to relief assistance, saying he would return it soon as his mother gets salary by the weekend.
Turkey, which itself has withstood many earthquakes in its areas located close to fault lines, has come out with 150 million dollars assistance for Pakistan - by far the largest by any country.
Ankara had promptly dispatched a team of doctors and medicines to the quake-affected areas following October 8's 7.6-magnitude earthquake.
Prime Minister Erdogan was the first foreign leader to visit Pakistan in the wake of the tragedy. He visited the quake-wrecked areas with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, offering all possible help in the hour of difficulty.
Turkey will also send a team of experts to help assess ways to raise quake-proof infrastructure in the wrecked region.
This step is being viewed as a great help for Pakistan, which has to mount daunting reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the mountainous areas sprawling over more than 20,000 sq km.
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