Expired food and medicines: Pakistan's 'aid' to Sri Lanka comes with a best before date long gone, Colombo fumes

The photo, shared on X by Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka, shows the expiry date of the humanitarian aid as 2024.

Pakistan has been hit by another round of diplomatic embarrassment after a relief shipment it sent to Sri Lanka was found to contain expired and unusable items. According to officials in Colombo, the consignment included medical supplies, food packets and other essentials meant to assist victims of Cyclone Ditwah, but several cartons were past their expiry date.

Sri Lankan authorities inspected the shipment soon after it arrived and immediately raised what they described as “serious concern" within the country’s disaster management and foreign affairs departments. Colombo has shared its displeasure with Islamabad through both formal and informal channels. Officials say the discovery has raised doubts about Pakistan’s sincerity and competence in providing humanitarian aid at a time when Sri Lanka is already struggling with widespread destruction.

Always standing together! 🇵🇰❤️🇱🇰 Relief packages from Pakistan have been successfully delivered to assist our brothers and sisters affected by the recent floods in Sri Lanka which signifies our unwavering solidarity. PAKISTAN STANDS WITH SRI LANKA TODAY AND ALWAYS. #FloodReliefpic.twitter.com/rMhMwUhEA8

— Pakistan High Commission Sri Lanka (@PakinSriLanka) November 30, 2025

The incident comes as Pakistan is trying to build influence in the Indian Ocean region. Instead, it now faces criticism for sending aid that Sri Lankan officials consider substandard. Authorities in Colombo said the shipment has cast a shadow over Pakistan’s relief diplomacy and has created uncomfortable questions about the quality of support Islamabad claims to offer.

This is not the first time Pakistan has faced backlash while attempting to position itself as a humanitarian partner. During the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Pakistan drew public anger after sending beef-based ready-to-eat meals to the Hindu-majority country. The controversy sparked accusations of cultural insensitivity and poor judgment. Sri Lankan civil society groups are now drawing parallels between the two episodes.

The latest incident has triggered widespread anger online in Sri Lanka. Many commentators called the expired aid “an insult" and “a joke of aid diplomacy". Some have demanded that their government seek accountability from Islamabad for sending items that could not be used during a national emergency.

Officials in Colombo said the episode has prompted them to review inspection protocols for all incoming relief materials. They indicated that greater scrutiny will now be applied to aid from countries that have previously sent inappropriate or low quality supplies. According to officials, the matter highlights the importance of careful oversight to ensure that humanitarian support does not risk public health or damage diplomatic relations.

The crisis in the region

The incident comes during a severe regional emergency. Governments and aid agencies in Indonesia and Sri Lanka are working urgently to reach hundreds of thousands of people stranded by widespread flooding. The disaster has already killed around 1,200 people across four countries.

Heavy monsoon rains combined with two tropical cyclones caused destructive flooding across Sri Lanka, parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia. In Sri Lanka alone, at least 390 people have died and 352 are missing. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency, calling it the “most challenging natural disaster in our history".