Pakistani minister views Turkey’s efforts for Syrians

By Izzet Mazi

KILIS, Turkey (AA) – Pakistani Justice Minister Zafarullah Khan visited Kilis province Monday to observe efforts by Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) in the area.

IHH director in Kilis Serkan Oktem informed Khan, who visited food kitchens and a bakery, about the foundation’s efforts to help Syrian refugees who fled their country due to a civil war.

Khan spoke to journalists during his visit to the bakery, which was built with IHH’s partner aid organization the Khubaib Foundation of Pakistan.

“Coming here and seeing the Pakistani flag… It is a material sign of the brotherhood [and] mutual love between the people of Pakistan and the people of Turkey.”

He noted that most Muslim countries nowadays want to learn from Turkey’s experience.

“They [Turkey] have two things especially to offer the Muslim world. One is the planning of Islamic values in a modern democracy. Secondly, they have focused on solving the problems of the people in terms of health, education, justice and public welfare.”

Turkish organizations and charities collecting and dispatching large amounts of aid have played a major role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis caused by Syria’s civil war.

The country has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.