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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed deep concern at a magnitude 6.1 earthquake that flattened buildings in Türkiye’s Balikesir province, saying that Pakistan stands ready to offer any assistance to Ankara. 

Türkiye’s disaster management agency said the quake was recorded at around 19:53 local time (16:53 GMT) on Sunday evening and was felt as far away as Istanbul. An 81-year-old woman passed away shortly after she was pulled from the rubble in the town of Sindirgi, which was the epicenter of the quake, Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

He said 16 buildings had collapsed in the province due to the tremors, injuring around 29. None of the injured were critically wounded, Yerlikaya said. 

“Deeply concerned by the earthquake in Turkiye’s Balıkesir province,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. “I convey my heartfelt sympathies to my dear brother, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and assure him that Pakistan stands ready to extend all possible assistance.”

Television footage showed rescue teams asking for silence so they can listen for signs of life beneath the rubble. Türkiye’s disaster management agency said the earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 4.6 magnitude, and urged citizens not to enter damaged buildings.

President Erdogan issued a statement following the earthquake, wishing all affected citizens a speedy recovery.

“May god protect our country from any kind of disaster,” the Turkish president wrote on X.

Türkiye sits on top of major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent. In 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed more than 53,000 people in Türkiye and destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 southern and southeastern provinces.

Another 6,000 people were killed in the northern parts of Syria.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari vowed to promote religious freedom and interfaith harmony to build an inclusive society, as Pakistan marks the National Minorities Day today, Monday. 

Pakistan observes the National Minorities Day every year on Aug. 11 since 2009, when the Pakistani government established it with the aim of recognizing the contributions of religious minorities to the nation’s progress.

According to the latest digital census conducted in 2023, over 96 percent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, with the remaining four percent comprising 5.2 million Hindus, 3.3 million Christians, 15,992 Sikhs and others. 

There have been dozens of instances of mob violence against religious minorities in Pakistan in recent years, including an attack on Christians in Jaranwala, a town in Punjab province, where churches, homes and businesses were set ablaze in August 2023. In the southern Sindh province, Hindus have frequently complained about forced conversions, particularly of young girls within their community, and attacks on temples. 

“Today, the entire nation, including me, is celebrating National Minorities Day to protect the rights of minorities and appreciate their key role in the country’s development and progress,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). 

“Today, we renew our pledge to always strive for religious freedom and equal rights of minorities in the light of the teachings of the founder of Pakistan and Islamic teachings.”

The Pakistani prime minister said that the welfare of all minorities, whether they be Sikhs, Christians, Hindus or Parsis, is one of the “priority duties” of the government.

In his message on the occasion, the Pakistani president vowed to safeguard and advance the rights of minorities in the country. 

“This day reflects Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a Pakistan where every citizen lives in equality, harmony, and mutual respect,” the president secretariat press wing said in a press release.

Zardari said Pakistan’s constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens, irrespective of religion, caste, creed, or color. He added that it also safeguarded the legitimate interests of minorities, ensuring their political, economic, religious, social, and cultural rights.

“Pakistan stands resolutely against all forms of discrimination, extremism, and religious intolerance,” he said. “We remain determined to build a society free from prejudice— one that embraces diversity as a strength and is anchored in mutual respect, interfaith harmony, and shared progress.”

Every year, a range of events, discussions, and communal assemblies are organized by the government through the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, and various minority communities to observe the day.