World

From ‘Return Gift’ to ‘Son Papdi Moment’ over Turkey Earthquake Relief Aid, Pakistan becomes the butt of jokes on Twitter

February 18, 2023
Saqafy Times

Islamabad: Days after Turkey canceled Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the country, Islamabad faced another embarrassment when it emerged that it donated the same flood relief received from Ankara to help the earthquake-ravaged country. Support sent back. Turkey, as a goodwill gesture, provided aid to Pakistan after the devastating floods in 2022. However, it emerged that Pakistan had returned those supplies and returned them to the earthquake-affected country.

A Pakistani journalist has made a sensational claim that the relief material Pakistan sent to Turkey was actually the same it had received from Ankara after last year’s devastating floods. To help Turkey, the Pakistan government recently sent its C-130 aircraft carrying relief supplies and search and rescue personnel to earthquake-hit areas of Turkey.

Shahid Masood, a Pakistani journalist appearing on the GNN news channel, claimed that the authorities actually re-packaged and shipped old relief aid back to Turkey after receiving it from Ankara in the name of earthquake aid.

Masood also claimed that Pakistani officials had changed the box on the outside but forgot to change the box on the inside, resulting in the mess. The sensational claim made by Masood soon went viral and triggered a meme fest on micro-blogging platform Twitter, with users mocking the move as ‘Son Papdi moment’ and ‘Return gift from Pakistan’.

It also emerged that the Consulate General took up the matter with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local news media outlets expressed their dismay towards the government over the incident. Turkish officials acknowledged that the relief supplies Turkey received were the same as those it had supplied during the floods in Sindh province.

Turkey had earlier turned down offers from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to visit the disaster-hit country. Turkey said that during this tragic period, they were only taking relief aid from other countries.

About two weeks ago, more than 40,000 people were killed in a severe earthquake in Turkey and Syria. But the death toll is expected to rise as about 2,64,000 apartments were destroyed in the quake and many more people are still unaccounted for.

Here are some of the funny Twitter reactions: