Ottawa – Following the recent devastating earthquake in South Asia, The Hon. Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada, expressed his concern and readiness to assist Afghanistan in case of need.

In a telephone conversation with Afghanistan’s Ambassador, Omar Samad, on Sunday, October 9, Prime Minister Martin inquired about the extent of casualties and damage in Afghanistan, and extended Canada’s readiness to help.

The Ambassador thanked the Prime Minster for his concern and sympathy, and briefed him on the latest situation inside Afghanistan and among thousands of Afghan refugees in the hardest hit regions of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province.

The Hon. Pierre Pettigrew, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Monday discussed the impact of the earthquake in the region with the Afghan Ambassador, and reiterated Canada’s sympathy and offer of assistance.

Several members of Parliament also contacted the Afghan envoy and inquired about the assessment of damage inside Afghanistan. The Ambassador thanked Canadian leaders and representatives for their sympathy and offer of aid.

Afghanistan’s eastern and northeastern provinces were severely shaken by the latest earthquake, but according the latest estimates, the human toll was minimal in comparison to a much more dire situation in Pakistan and India.

Ambassador Samad on Sunday talked to the High Commissioners of Pakistan and India in Ottawa and expressed his country’s sympathy in the wake of the recent devastation.