New Delhi: Pakistan’s bid at aid diplomacy faltered as the packets of food shipped to flood-hit Sri Lanka were found to be expired.
The consignment was dispatched in support to the country, which is reeling from landslides and flooding due to Cyclone Ditwah. An X post hailing the relief work was shared by the Pakistan High Commission, which read: “Always standing together! Relief packages from Pakistan have been successfully delivered to assist our brothers and sisters affected by the recent floods in Sri Lanka, which signifies our unwavering solidarity.”
However, the post has now been deleted.
Social media users were quick to note that the package had an expiry date of 2024. The aid package had medicines and relief materials. A few social media users called out the lack of sensitivity, while others pointed out that this was not the first time.
In 2015, Pakistan was called out for sending ready-to-eat meals laced with beef to Nepal, a Hindu-majority nation.
Pakistan Sunday announced that its National Disaster Management Authority had dispatched 100 tons of essential flood relief items, and an urban search and rescue team from the Pakistan Army to Sri Lanka. According to Radio Pakistan, the state broadcaster, Pakistan Navy’s ship Saif provided the relief items to Sri Lankan authorities.
Neither of the countries has put out any official clarification yet.
Meanwhile, the death toll has climbed up to more than 350 in what the Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described as the “largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history”.
(Edited by Varnika Dhawan)