Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has extended his condolences to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the loss of lives in recent floods and landslides in Pakistan.
During a phone conversation with Sharif on Thursday, Erdogan expressed solidarity with the “brotherly people of Pakistan,” noting that Turkish aid operations were already under way in several regions and that Ankara was prepared to provide more comprehensive support if needed.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments, the Communications Directorate said.
In recent weeks, India and Pakistan have been battered by relentless monsoon rains and flooding, with over 500 people killed in Pakistan since August 14, mostly over 400 in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and 819 killed across Pakistan since June 26.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a warning of further rainfall in Punjab and the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from Friday until September 2.
Urgent need for new water reservoirs
Separately, Premier Sharif called for the construction of new water storage facilities as heavy floods wreaked havoc in the northeastern Punjab province following torrential rains and India's release of water from overflowing dams, which killed 13 people.
Sharif, who visited the affected areas with federal ministers and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, emphasised the urgent need for new water reservoirs to address recurring challenges.
"Unfortunately, Pakistan is one of the 10 countries most affected by the climate crisis. Its impact will grow in the coming years, so we need immediate action to control the situation," he said while speaking at an official meeting.
Recalling the devastating floods of 2022, which caused billions of dollars in losses and destroyed millions of acres of crops, Sharif stressed the necessity of increasing water storage capacity through projects such as the Bhasha and Mohmand dams, as well as smaller reservoirs in Punjab and the north.
Several towns near the three major rivers, Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab, are at risk of catastrophic flooding, with hundreds of houses, shops, and roads inundated in low-lying areas of Wazirabad, Sialkot, Shahdara, Lahore, and Gujranwala.
