Guwahati: The Pakistani government came under further criticism when it was discovered that the relief that Pakistan delivered to Turkey in the wake of its earthquake was the same aid that Turkey had sent to Pakistan after its floods in 2022.
The issue came to light when Turkish officials learned that Pakistan had given the identical supplies to the South Asian nation after being ravaged by floods the previous year. Pakistan had sent the supplies in the wake of the terrible earthquake.
According to several reports, Pakistan sent the same humanitarian supplies back to Turkey while merely changing the boxes on the outside and leaving the ones inside untouched. The outside of the boxes stated that Turkey was receiving the relief supplies from Pakistan in the wake of the devastating earthquake, while the interior of the boxes stated that Turkey was sending the supplies to Pakistan in response to the June 2022 floods.
Following the incident, Twitter users quickly started making fun of Pakistan for its gaffe. In reference to the sweet dish that is frequently passed among relatives as a gift during celebrations in India, many people dubbed it the “Soan Papdi moment.”
The consulate general also brought up the issue with the Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry in the interim.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, who had planned to visit Turkey in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes, visited the country on Friday after his initial plan got postponed. During the visit, Sharif expressed his “heartfelt condolences”.
Initially, the Pakistani prime minister and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wanted to travel to the earthquake-stricken country two days after the catastrophe. However, the Turkish government, which was preoccupied with the rescue and relief operations, requested that they postpone their visit.