ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety and Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Shazia Marri visited Turkish and Syrian embassies here on Wednesday to offer “heartfelt condolences and sympathies to peoples of both the countries” on the devastating and deadly earthquakes that struck them.

In her visits to the two diplomatic missions, the minister expressed her heartfelt sympathies with the ambassadors of the two countries, said an official statement. “There are no words that can console and soothe the anguish of peoples of both countries,” she said, according to the statement.

Marri said her heart “goes out to all the victims of this natural calamity. In this hour of need, the people of Pakistan are standing shoulder to shoulder with their Turkish and Syrian brothers and sisters.”

The federal minister prayed for the speedy recovery of those who were injured in the devastating earthquake, the press release said.

The minister commended the “resilience of Syrian people who have stood tall in face of overwhelming odds in recent years.” She hoped that Syrian people and leadership will “show the same resilience at this difficult hour.”

Turkish and Syrian ambassadors expressed their gratitude towards the people and government of Pakistan for their outpouring support and sympathies, the statement said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023