WASHINGTON: The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) on Monday donated 350,000 dollars for the rehabilitation and construction of houses for the earthquake-target people of Turkey, according to a press release issued by the Embassy of Pakistan.
According to APP, accompanied by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, the APPNA delegation visited the Embassy of Turkey in Washington DC and handed over the contribution made by Pakistani doctors to the Turkiya Ambassador Hasan Murat Mercan.
The delegation, headed by APPNA President Dr Arshad Rehan, included Dr Attiq Samdani, Dr Rasheed Piracha, Dr Rashid Hanif, Dr Tayyab Rana, and Dr Irfan Suleman.
APPNA’s Treasurer, Dr Rana, presented the cheque to Ambassador Mercan.
Pakistani envoy’s address
On occasion, Ambassador Masood Khan said that when the earthquake struck Turkey in February, it hit Pakistan because “Turkey is our second house and foreign motherland.”
The Pakistani diplomat said that APPNA, a body of 3,500 members representing about twenty-thousand doctors serving in the United States and Canada, felt the pain of their brethern in Turkiye and were able to raise 350,000 dollars within an hour.
Mercan, the Turkey envoy, thanks Ambassador Khan and APPNA leadership for their sentiments and generous contribution that reflected Pakistan’s citizens’ attachment to Turkey and its people.
Dr Arshad Rehan, APPNA President, underlined the strong bonds between the citizens of the two nations. He said that the Pakistani diaospora in the US was deeply saddened when the devastation struck the Turkey.
He added that the APPNA offered every possible medical treatment to the disaster-stricken people.
