Sri Lanka President calls Pakistan PM, extends sympathy over flood devastation

With floods having wreaked havoc across the country, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday received a telephone call from President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

According to the statement, Wickremesinghe offered sympathies on the widespread devastation caused by the recent floods in Pakistan and condoled with Prime Minister Sharif on the loss of lives. He expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan braving the unforeseen natural calamity with resolve, it added.

PM Shehbaz thanked the Sri Lankan president for his compassion and expression of support in these testing times and briefed him on the large-scale destruction caused across Pakistan by unprecedented rainfall resulting in floods and landslides.

The prime minister highlighted that the floods have caused extensive loss of human lives, livelihoods, livestock, crops, property, and critical infrastructure.

He also apprised President Wickremesinghe of the government’s well-coordinated humanitarian response including the establishment of a relief fund in which people in Pakistan and overseas can donate to the flood relief efforts. 

He reiterated the need for enhanced awareness in the international community about the scale of the floods which have deluged one-third of the country.

PM hoped that the “2022 UN Flash Appeal” for the Pakistan flood response launched on August 30, 2022, would contribute towards meeting the relief funding requirements and assist in the expeditious provision of relief to those in dire need. 

The Pakistani prime minister also highlighted the vital importance of the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.

PM Shehbaz felicitated President Wickremesinghe on his election as the new president of Sri Lanka.

The two leaders expressed the desire to further strengthen the fraternal relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in areas of mutual interest, the statement further said.

Source: Express Tribune 

--Agencies