ISLAMABAD, 30 December 2004 — Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz called Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh yesterday to convey his “heartfelt condolences” over tsunami disaster and offered to assist relief efforts, officials said. “The news of the tragedy which ferociously struck parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia was received by the people of Pakistan with great shock and sorrow,” the Foreign Ministry quoted Aziz as telling Manmohan. “Pakistan is ready to render any assistance that India may need in this regard,” he said. The Indian prime minister expressed his “gratitude” for Aziz’s telephone call and his expression of support for the relief efforts, a Foreign Ministry statement here said.
