ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday apprised his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu of the situation arising out of floods in Pakistan and expressed the hope that the international community would respond positively to the UN “Flash Appeal” to be launched on 30th August.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari received a telephone call from Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

Thanking the Turkish minister for Turkiye’s timely dispatch of a team for flood relief at the outset of the conversation, Mr Bhutto-Zardari pointed out that since June 2022 Pakistan had witnessed the highest rainfall on record.

This, he said, had caused widespread flooding and landslides, with extreme repercussion for human life, livelihood, livestock, property, and infrastructure.

“The disaster would likely be compounded by riverine floods,” the foreign minister stated, according to a statement issued by the FO.

The Pakistani minister stressed that extensive damage to the infrastructure was further impeding the relocation of people to safer locations and effective delivery of assistance.

He told his Turkish counterpart that Pakistan had prepared a “UN Flash Appeal” which would be launched on August 30, 2022.

He expressed the hope that the international community would contribute towards meeting the funding requirements of the ‘Flash Appeal’, the FO statement added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022