The United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Friday thanked Pakistan for donating personal protective equipments (PPEs) to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security. In a tweet, Pompeo appreciated Pakistan's donation of surgical masks and protective suits, saying, "this gesture is a symbol of US-Pakistan solidarity in the fight against COVID-19".

Earlier this month, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) Chief Coordinator Ijaz A Khokhar said the garment industry was receiving international inquiries about the production of masks and the PPEs.

Meanwhile, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, in her tweet, also expressed gratitude to Pakistan for the goodwill donation.

She said our countries' health partnership and coordinated response will help defeat this virus, and rebuild our prosperity. Earlier, a consignment of Personal Protective Equipment from Pakistan via a C-130 flight from Islamabad landed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

The equipment was also handed over to US Federal Emergency Management Agency for onward delivery to the US armed forces.