Turkish government on Wednesday donated 5 million dollars for Prime Minister's Flood Relief Fund and expressed complete solidarity with people of Pakistan in their hour of trial. The cheque of the amount was handed over by Ambassador of Turkey to Pakistan M Babur Hizlan to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani here at the Prime Minister Secretariat, on behalf of the Turkish government for the PM's Flood Relief Fund.
The ambassador informed the prime minister that in addition to this cash grant and the plane load of 3.5 metric tons of relief goods already sent to Pakistan on August 4, his government would be sending three other planes carrying relief assistance to Pakistan on August 11,13 and 17.
He said that as promised by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, over the phone to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 4, Turkey will wholeheartedly participate in the reconstruction phase of flood affected areas, once the water recedes. The prime minister conveyed the gratitude of his government and people of Pakistan for the generous support of brotherly government and people of Turkey in these trying times.
He noted that Turkey was amongst those few countries, which had taken the lead in sending immediate assistance directly to the Government of Pakistan for its urgent and optimum utilisation for providing relief to the flood affected people. He underlined the immediate requirement for more tents as a large number of evacuated people were still living in the open and need to have shelter on immediate basis.
He hoped that the next instalment of relief goods from Turkey would include substantial quantity of tents for the flood victims. The prime minister asked the Turkish ambassador to convey his personal thanks to Prime Minister Erdogan and his government for standing relief goods in this hour of trial.