ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dispatched an urban search and rescue team to Sri Lanka following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, which triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides and killed more than 400 people across the island nation.
A Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying a 47-member specialist team and 6.5 tonnes of equipment departed Islamabad on Wednesday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.
NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said the mission was launched on the direct instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
“We stand in complete solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka,” Malik said, adding that Pakistan had been mobilised for support since November 28, when the cyclone made landfall. He said a Pakistan Navy ship already in Sri Lankan waters was immediately tasked with assisting evacuations and relief efforts.
Calling Cyclone Ditwah “unprecedented,” the NDMA chief warned that climate change now threatens “all nations alike,” underscoring the need for stronger global cooperation on early-warning systems. Malik said the dispatched team—described as a “highly competent military search-and-rescue unit”—would remain deployed as long as needed. Pakistan has also sent 200 tonnes of humanitarian cargo by sea, with more assistance planned from Lahore and Karachi.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry conveyed “deepest condolences” on behalf of Pakistan, assuring the Sri Lankan ambassador that “everything possible” would be done to support the relief effort.
The deployment came a day after Pakistan accused India of obstructing its air mission. Islamabad said its emergency C-130 aircraft—loaded with rescue teams, field hospitals, sniffer dogs, and relief supplies—remained stranded at Noor Khan Air Base for over two days due to New Delhi’s refusal to grant overflight clearance. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said it was instead forced to send aid by sea.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who chaired a high-level meeting on Sri Lanka’s relief requirements, said Pakistan would also assist in rehabilitation after the search-and-rescue phase.
In a phone call with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he expressed sorrow over the scale of destruction and pledged continued support. Colombo thanked Islamabad for being among the first countries to respond.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka share warm, long-standing bilateral ties built on mutual respect, historical linkages — including a shared Buddhist heritage — and broad cooperation across political, defence, trade and cultural sectors. The two nations marked 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2023, having first established formal ties in 1948.
