ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will dispatch three planes-load of Covid-19 relief goods to the Republic of Iraq, on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The first plane-load was dispatched on Saturday in presence of the National Disaster Management Authority chairman Lt Gen Akhtar Nawaz, senior officials of the foreign ministry and the Ambassador of Iraq to Pakistan Hamid Abbas Lafta.

The next consignments would be sent in the coming week, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

Pakistan and Iraq have long-standing fraternal ties rooted firmly in shared faith and values. The two countries had multifaceted relationship, marked by regular high-level exchanges and growing cooperation in diverse fields, the spokesperson remarked.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic was a global challenge, which could only be contained with international solidarity and cooperation.

The government and people of Pakistan stood by their Iraqi brethren in this difficult time, he added.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2021