MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas on Friday visited the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad to express solidarity with the government and people of Türkiye over the huge physical and material losses in the recent devastating earthquakes, his office said.

Mr Ilyas also handed over a cheque of Rs480 million for the earthquake-affected Turkish people to Ambassador Dr Mehmet Paçac.

Of this amount, Rs470m were generated from donations by all those who drew salaries from the AJK exchequer and Rs10m were donated by PM Ilyas from his pocket, according to a press release by his office.

PM Ilyas who was accompanied by his cabinet members Deewan Ali Khan Chughtai, Abdul Majid Khan, Akmal Hussain Sargala and Chief Secretary Usman Chachar, also prayed for the deliverance of martyrs and early recovery and rehabilitation of survivors.

“Today, I visited [the] Türkiye Embassy in Islamabad along with some ministers to hand over a cheque of Rs 480m to H.E. Dr Mehmet Paçac as a very small token of love and support from AJK people for their quake-hit brethren in Türkiye. May this great nation briskly overcome this tragedy with fortitude,” he tweeted later in the evening.

According to the press release, the prime minister told the envoy that the people of Kashmir and Türkiye were like one soul in two bodies and the whole world had witnessed its demonstration in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake in AJK when the Türkiye government and non-governmental organisations came rushing in to generously support their quake-stricken Kashmiri brethren in rescue, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction phases.

He said that the red-coloured buildings in the state capital Muzaffarabad were the reflection of the indelible friendship between Pakistan and Türkiye.

“The situation you are going through is indeed very challenging but the determination of the Turkish nation is strong and therefore Türkiye will overcome the tragedy under the dynamic leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” he said.

The AJK premier also handed over his letter for President Erdogan to Ambassador Paçac, wherein he expressed grief and sorrow over the losses in Türkiye while recalling the gracious help, support and assistance extended by the people of Türkiye after the 2005 earthquake.

“Excellency! We still remember you had yourself made multiple visits to Azad Kashmir to oversee the relief and reconstruction-related activities,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2023