Pakistan dispatches humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Pakistan on Tuesday dispatched humanitarian aid to Ukraine on the “request of its government” to help the people of the war-hit country.

The humanitarian assistance, being sent through two C-130 aircraft, includes emergency medicines, electro-medical equipment, blankets, food items and other items of human needs, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.

The relief items were handed over to the Ukrainian ambassador by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The Ukrainian ambassador thanked Qureshi and Pakistan’s leadership for sending humanitarian assistance for the Ukrainian people in the hour of need.

Speaking on the occasion, the foreign minister said that Pakistan has always acted promptly alongside international community for responding to international calls for assistance during conflicts and calamities, as a responsible and peace loving nation.

He said this gesture shows that Pakistan is a peace loving nation. “We urge both the countries to show restraint to save precious human lives.”

Last week, FM Qureshi had said that Pakistan had adopted a balanced policy over the Russia-Ukraine conflict and would send humanitarian assistance to Ukraine soon.

Also read: Qureshi discusses Ukraine crisis with Belarusian counterpart

Aid goods would be airlifted on C-130 aircraft to Ukraine via the Polish capital Warsaw, he said while talking to the media.

The minister said the Ukraine conflict was a very sensitive issue and Pakistan had emphasised that Russia and Ukraine should resolve the matter through dialogue and diplomacy.

He said there were two aspects of the matter. On one hand, the neighbouring countries of Ukraine, including Poland, Finland, Hungary and European states, had expressed their security related concerns, and on the other Russia considered that the expansion of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) would affect its security and it had conveyed its concerns many times to the United States and its NATO allies.

Pakistan believed in the security of all states not for a particular one, he added.

(With input from APP)