Pakistan found itself in an embarrassing situation when the country sent Turkey the same relief material it had received during the devastating floods. According to a journalist, officials in Pakistan had changed the outside box but forgot to change the inside box, resulting in a mess. The Consulate General took up the matter with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local news media outlets expressed dismay towards the government over the incident.
During the flood, the goods that Turkey had sent to Pakistan as aid, the Pak rescue team took the same goods with them to Turkey for help. #Earthquake Pakistan suffers in the name of aid pic.twitter.com/FgVyiiN82G– Megh Updates (@MeghUpdates) February 17, 2023
Recent revelations have embarrassed Pakistani government, adding to his past failures. Prior to the incident, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had to cancel his visit to the quake-hit region after being advised to do so by Ankara. Significantly, both Sharif and his Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had planned to visit Turkey only two days after the devastating earthquake that hit the region. The decision was also criticized by the Pakistani public as they criticized the government for using taxpayers’ money for international travel during the financial crisis. Now, this new controversy has put Pakistan in trouble again and has spoiled its relations with Turkey as well.
Many countries around the world have come together to help the people affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.