Pakistan Today Editorial: The Turkish connection and Turkish schools


Date posted: November 21, 2016

Editorial

Surely nobody at the joint session really believed Mr Erdogan’s warning about the threat the so called Gulen Network presents Pakistan. No doubt the Turkish president really believes the Network – which ran schools here till just before his visit – is just as dangerous for Pakistan as al Qaeda, etc, but that he believes that lawmakers of a country at war with some of these outfits would buy it raises a few questions. Not the least about the country itself. Surely somebody in the high chain of command took it very seriously; enough to shut down those schools and deport the staff.

There is a deeper irony in this tragedy. It’s not just that Pakistan faces an acute education deficit and could do with all the help, and a lot, lot more, in that area. It’s also that the government really faces a huge challenge concerning so called educational institutes that spread hatred, violence and even terrorism. And on the front – the madrassas – the government has been paralysed. And no manner of terrorism or tragedy has made it budge and pay attention to this crucial point of the National Action Plan.

None of that, in any way, takes anything away from Mr Erdogan’s achievements in a long and largely impressive political career. His economic turnaround is well marketed, but few outside Turkey know he also revolutionised the country’s judiciary, turning it from a corrupt, inefficient institution like ours to the embodiment of a just, fast and efficient judiciary. And even though of late his foreign policy blunders have helped bring death and destruction to the Middle East, and he has become increasingly paranoid and authoritarian, there is still much our rulers can learn from him. And given the proximity, and the obviously close Turkish connection, there is hope that some of him will rub off onto them.

Source: Pakistan Today , November 20, 2016


Related News

Turkey just snatched six of its citizens from another country

The Pristina abductions are merely the latest episode of Turkey’s global purge, the government’s campaign to pursue its opponents all over the world, which began in 2014 but has accelerated dramatically since the coup attempt of July 2016. In this time, Turkey has repeatedly resorted to extralegal means to target its perceived opponents abroad.

Warning of another Feb. 28 on the eve of an MGK meeting

National Security Council (MGK) will convene. Turkey is going through a grave security crisis due to the situation in Syria and Iraq, and the escalation of domestic terror. The road map, the peshmerga corridor, martyred security forces…

New Constitution expected to eradicate remnants of Feb. 28 coup

Journalist Nazlı Ilıcak told Today’s Zaman that important steps have been taken to eradicate the remnants of Feb. 28 but Turkey needs to take more steps, via a new Constitution, to achieve overall democratization. However, Ilıcak noted that Turkey needs to take further steps towards democratization and settling its major problems, such as the Kurdish problem, through a new Constitution, which she said would contribute to make democratization permanent.

Hizmet movement could be powerful argument for education

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) The Hizmet movement, a social movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, could be a powerful argument for the theory that people need only good education to bring out the goodness in them, a U.S. scholar said Saturday. Mark Owen Webb, chairman of the Department of Philosophy at Texas Tech […]

Will Gülen movement become a political party?

Esteemed Fethullah Gülen frequently underlines: “Forget getting a share of political power. We cannot accept control of the world even if it is presented to us on a gold tray because this would create disappointment among those actively supporting our cause. And people would think ‘They’ve also been deceived by the love of position and sense of interest. All these [voluntary] efforts were for the sake of getting a share in the political power’.”

Bank Asya sells stakes in 2 subsidiaries

In a statement to Borsa İstanbul (BIST), Bank Asya said it is selling a 24.18 percent stake in Turkish construction firm Tuna Gayrimenkul for TL 62.8 million. The bank also said it is selling another construction company, Nil Yönetim Hizmetleri, for TL 69.25 million.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

In controversial move Parliament votes to shut down prep schools

UN slams Thailand, Myanmar over deportation of Turk

Deepening crisis

When Iconic Islamic scholar wins prestigious peace award

Turkish Olympiad Finals add a festive air to Kiev

Turkey’s Real Coup [by Erdogan] Has Begun

Gülen’s lawyer: Pro-government media ignores ruling of Supreme Court of Appeals

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News