ISLAMABAD: Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday called upon the business community to generously contribute to the Prime Minister Relief Fund for Turkiye Earthquake Victims for strengthening their rescue efforts and provide relief to the calamity-hit people of the brotherly nation.

Addressing the business community here, the minister expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the deadly earthquake, and prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and for early recovery of those injured in the natural calamity.

The minister said on the special directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the special relief fund account had already been opened, and the State Bank of Pakistan had issued a circular to all the commercial banks to issue IBAN numbers for the collection of donations.

He said the Federal Cabinet members had also announced to donate their one-month salary for the earthquake victims while the parliamentarians were also expected to follow suit.

He urged all the chambers of commerce of the country to mobilize their resources and contribute generously in the fund to extend full support to the Turkish brothers in the time of need.

Ishaq Dar said it was the worst ever earthquake after 1939 in which over 6,000 people died in Turkiye and over 2,500 in Syria.

He recalled that when the devastating floods hit Pakistan last year causing a total of over $30 billion loss, including $16 physical and $15 billion economic ones, the Turkish president and his wife visited the country to express solidarity with the people of Pakistan.

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Today, he added, Turkiye was also facing the similar kind of devastation and it was time to respond with an open heart to help the Turkish brothers. He said the government had already dispatched some relief consignments to Turkiye and would continue to doing so.

He said he had also directed the Special Assistant to the PM on Revenue and Federal Bureau of Revenue chairman to give tax relief to those contributing to the PM Fund.

He said a meeting of all the business leaders would be held to invite their suggestions to steer the country out of the prevailing economic crisis.

The minister said the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund was also in progress hoping that the dialogues would successfully be concluded soon.