Turkish PM Erdogan announces plans to visit Pakistan

Criticizing oil-rich Islamic countries for their reluctance to send humanitarian aid to Pakistan, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his plan to visit the flood-hit South Asian country after the Sept. 12 referendum."What is the Muslim world, which says it owns oil resources, doing? How much of their oil have they sent to Pakistan?" Erdogan said during a symposium in Istanbul on Sunday. "I do not want them to get offended, but it was not they who discovered the oil resources. The resources are a blessing." Erdogan’s wife, Emine Erdogan, visited Pakistan last week, but the prime minister had to postpone his own trip due to his busy schedule during the campaign ahead of the referendum on proposed constitutional amendments. Calling on Muslim countries to enhance their efforts on behalf of Pakistan, the prime minister noted that member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, have only pledged $1 billion in aid."As the Turkish state, we are doing what we should," Erdogan said. "Beyond sending a significant sum of money to Pakistan, we are helping the country rebuild itself."