Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
After UAE, Pakistan on Thursday came forward to offer humanitarian assistance to India for relief and rehabilitation operations in flood-hit Kerala. On behalf of his country, Prime Minister Imran Khan extended his prayers to those who have been affected by the disaster which claimed more than 200 lives since August 8.
“On behalf of the people of Pakistan, we send our prayers and best wishes to those who have been devastated by the floods in Kerala, India. We stand ready to provide any humanitarian assistance that may be needed,” Khan tweeted.
On Saturday, UAE encouraged its citizens to provide relief to the flood-ravaged state. “The state of Kerala in India is currently witnessing huge floods, the most devastating in a century. Hundreds have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Ahead of Eid al-Adha, do not forget to extend a helping hand to our brothers in India,” Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, had said.
“UAE and the Indian community will unite to offer relief to those affected. We have formed a committee to start immediately. We urge everyone to contribute generously towards this initiative,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi later thanked the Dubai ruler for his “gracias support”.
A big thanks to @hhshkmohd for his gracious offer to support people of Kerala during this difficult time. His concern reflects the special ties between governments and people of India and UAE.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2018
The UAE government also sought relief assistance through full-page advertisements in leading newspapers.
On Sunday, Qatar Airways tweeted a photograph of an airplane being loaded with donations from the country to be delivered to Kerala.
#QatarAirwaysCargo offers relief to flood-hit Kerala by transporting donations from Doha this Eid al-Adha. #Movedbypeople pic.twitter.com/x5u3MAJzKH
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) August 19, 2018
Besides humanitarian relief, UAE, along with Maldives, Qatar and Thailand, offered monetary support for relief operations in the state. However, the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that India won’t be able to accept such funds from a foreign government due to a policy put in place by the former UPA government following the 2004 tsunami.