From 'Return Gift' to 'Son Papadi Moment', Pakistan Becomes Butt of Jokes on Twitter over Turkey Quake Relief Aid

ISLAMABAD: Days after Turkey cancelled Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the country, Islamabad faced yet another embarrassment after it emerged that it has sent the same flood relief aid received from Ankara back to help the earthquake-ravaged country. Turkey, as a goodwill gesture, had provided aid to Pakistan following the devastating floods in 2022. However, it emerged that Pakistan repackaged those supplies and returned them back to the earthquake-struck country.

A Pakistani journalist made the sensational claim that the relief goods Pakistan sent to Turkey were in fact the same that it had received from Ankara in the aftermath of the devastating floods last year. In a bid to help Turkey, the government of Pakistan recently sent its C-130 planes carrying relief supplies and search and rescue personnel to quake-hit areas of Turkey.

Pakistani journalist Shahid Masood, who appeared on the GNN news channel, claimed that the authorities in fact re-packaged and send the old relief aid back to Turkey days after receiving them from Ankara, in the name of earthquake aid.    

Masood also claimed that the Pakistani officials had changed the box outside but forgot to change the boxes inside, resulting in a mix-up. The sensational claim made by Masood soon became viral and triggered a meme fest on the micro-blogging platform Twitter, with users mocking the move as ‘Son Papadi Moment’ and ‘Return Gift from Pakistan’.

It also emerged that the Consulate General raised the matter before the Pakistan External Affairs Ministry and local news media outlets expressed disappointment with the government over the incident. The Turkish authorities admitted that the relief supplies Turkey received were the same ones that it had supplied to the province of Sindh during the flooding there.

Turkey had earlier turned down the proposal by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif along with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who wanted to travel to the calamity-hit country. Turkey said that during this tragic period, they were only taking relief aid from other nations.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the massive earthquake quake that hit Turkey and Syria nearly two weeks back. But the toll is expected to shoot up given some 2,64,000 apartments were lost in the quake and many people are still unaccounted for.

Here are some of those funny Twitter reactions: 

 

Pakistan sent Aid packets to Turkey for Earthquake relief, but the packets were the same ones which Turkey gave them for Flood relief.

Son-papdi  — Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) February 18, 2023

 

Pakistan NEVER failed to entertain us !

Pakistan’s disaster relief team carried the SAME aid material to Turkey which they got from Turkey during floods relief this year@CMShehbaz जनाब,कश्मीर का क्या करोगे ? pic.twitter.com/srm68zYAym — Major Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) February 17, 2023

 

Does Pakistan economy allow them to buy such huge cold storage where they can store food for so long  — ً (@SarcasticCowboy) February 18, 2023

 

Same energy pic.twitter.com/PnrtGsZS7y — Damon (@damonbeingdamon) February 18, 2023

 

Diwali ka Son-papdi bangya toh....  — Aman Kumar Singh (@amanvassingh) February 18, 2023

 

Khud Jalil hote hai — ರಾಮ್ ಭಾರದ್ವಾಜ್ (@Raamchanddrarao) February 17, 2023

 

Perhaps they didn’t have funds to change the packing & also were running out of time to show their solidarity with the big bro Turkey. — Rajnish Jain (@jainrk59) February 18, 2023

 

pic.twitter.com/xVHlC6aV4R — Sanjay Verma (@SanjayV04775171) February 17, 2023