Pakistan to send another 50,000 tents for Turkiye's quake victims by March 23

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday that Pakistan will dispatch another 50,000 winterized tents during the next two weeks to victims of twin earthquakes in Türkiye,

The announcement was made while Sharif chaired a high-level meeting in the northeastern city of Lahore to review ongoing relief activities for victims in Turkiye and Syria.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar; Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who heads the special Cabinet Committee for relief activities; Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieut. Gen. Inam Haider Malik and other senior officials.

Sharif directed NDMA to "ensure the quality" of the tents in accordance with weather conditions of earthquake-stricken areas.

The tents will be dispatched in batches by March 23, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

Islamabad has sent more than 17,000 winterized tents and over 60,000 blankets to Türkiye through air, sea and road routes.

Apart from the new consignment of tents, 34 flights from Pakistan International Airlines will carry 38,000 blankets for victims in Tuerkiye, and 22,000 blankets and 10,000 ration packets for Syria by March 23.

A second Pakistan Navy ship carrying relief goods for the two countries will depart Saturday from the southern port city of Karachi.

Also, two cargo planes carrying 220 tons of relief items will take off for Turkiye late Friday.

On Feb. 28, a Pakistan Navy ship carrying 1,000 tons of relief goods for victims departed for Türkiye.

Pakistani charities, including Al-Khidmat Foundation, Edhi Foundation, Baitussalam Welfare Trust, Sailani Welfare Trust and the Pakistan Red Crescent have also been engaged in relief and rescue efforts in earthquake-hit regions in Türkiye and Syria.

More than 45,000 people died in Türkiye in the 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes on Feb. 6. The quakes, which were centered in the province of Kahramanmaras, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Hatay, Adana, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Adiyaman, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.