Pakistan Rebuffed: Turkey Forced Shehbaz Sharif to Cancel Visit
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 8: Despite Turkey having strong close relations with Pakistan and the two countries work together in the defence and trade sectors, Turkey on Wednesday virtually slapped the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with an international-level insult forcing him to change his travel plans.
There has been devastation due to the earthquake in Turkey. Countries around the world are sending relief materials and rescue teams to Turkey, but Pakistan tried to capitalize on this disaster as an opportunity to improve the bilateral relations but the efforts backfired.
Sharif had unilaterally announced his visit to Ankara to show solidarity with Turkey without putting a thought about the disaster management. He did not think that the country which is currently facing a natural disaster, resources should not be spent on VIP visits. In such a situation, Turkey itself refused to host the Pakistan prime minister.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Ankara on Thursday morning, he will express his solidarity and condolences to President Erdoğan for the destruction of the earthquake, the loss of life, and the people of Turkey. Due to Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey, the APC convened on Thursday February 9 is being postponed, a new date will be announced in consultation with the allies,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said in a statement on Twitter on Wednesday.
However, hours after her tweet, Azam Jamil, former special assistant to the prime minister of Turkey, took to social media to announce his country’s reluctance to host Sharif. “The last thing Turkey wants at a time like this is to look after state guests. Please send relief staff only,” he tweeted.
A shocked Pakistan had to find out excuses to gulp the rebuff. Maryam Aurangzeb later announced that Sharif’s visit to Turkey had been “postponed.” She said, “Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz’s visit has been postponed in view of the ongoing relief work after the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria on Monday morning.
“Shehbaz Sharif has decided to establish the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to support the earthquake victims of our brother country Turkey in their difficult times. The cabinet has announced to donate 1 month salary to the relief fund. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed for the generous help of our brother country Turkey,” Aurangzeb tweeted.
Instead of his own visit, Sharif sent a 51-member rescue team and also set up a relief fund. But, Pakistan itself is poor, in such a situation how much financial help it will be able to provide to Turkey is under question. The earthquake in Turkey and Syria has killed more than 11,000 people so far, while millions of people have been injured and were trapped in the debris.
Pakistan has sent over 21 tonnes of relief material to earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria. A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesperson said two PIA flights on behalf of NDMA left Islamabad for Istanbul and Damascus on Wednesday morning. He said PIA flights PK-705 and PK-9135 carrying 7.4 tonnes and 14 tonnes of cargo (earthquake-relief aid) left Islamabad for Istanbul and Damascus at 8:45 am and 10:30 am respectively. The spokesman elaborated that the 14 tonnes of aid, which was sent to Damascus, also included winter tents and blankets.
The relations between Pakistan and Turkey are very strong. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blindly supports Pakistan in the name of Islam. This is the reason why Turkey has supported Pakistan on the Kashmir issue at the United Nations (UN). Erdogan himself and the foreign minister there have raised the Kashmir issue several times in the United Nations. This is the same Turkey, which has excellent relations with Israel, while having an old enmity with Palestine. And yet Sharif’s thoughtless decision to pay a visit to the friendly country in the midst of the disaster had to be rebuffed.
