Pakistan Criticised for Sending Expired Relief to Sri Lankan Flood Victims

Pakistan has faced strong criticism in Colombo after sending expired relief supplies to Sri Lanka at a time when the country is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The floods and landslides triggered by the cyclone have claimed at least 456 lives, left 366 people missing, and affected more than 1.5 million people nationwide.

According to a report by AFP and News 18, a partner outlet of CNN, the consignment of humanitarian relief sent from Pakistan contained medical supplies, medicines, food packets, and other essential items.

Officials in Colombo have confirmed that some of the products dispatched as relief from Islamabad were already past their expiry date. During inspections of the emergency aid materials, authorities identified several cartons that contained expired and unusable goods.

Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management and Foreign Affairs doptor expressed deep concern over the matter. A post shared from the X handle of the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo went viral, showing an aid package labelled with an expiry year of 2024. However, at the time of preparing this report, the post was no longer visible on the X handle.

Colombo has conveyed its dissatisfaction to Islamabad through formal and informal diplomatic channels. Analysts say the incident is highly embarrassing for Pakistan, particularly at a time when the country is attempting to bolster its presence in the Indian Ocean region. Sri Lankan officials have stated that the quality of Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance and the seriousness with which it is handled have now been called into question.

This incident has sparked anger among the general public in Sri Lanka. Many on social media have described it as an insult and a mockery under the guise of relief diplomacy, urging the government to seek answers from Pakistan.

Officials in Colombo have stated that, following the incident, inspection procedures for relief supplies have been made stricter, especially for countries with a history of sending substandard aid. Pakistan’s relief diplomacy has previously drawn criticism; in 2015, during the Nepal earthquake, Islamabad faced widespread outrage after sending beef-based food items to the predominantly Hindu nation.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Anuruddha Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency to tackle the disaster, describing it as the worst natural calamity in the country’s history.

Source: News 18

Khaborwala/SS