OONIB AZAM / SARFARAZ MEMON / Z ALI / RIAZUL HAQ Uncertainty surrounds the future of Pak-Turk schools in the country. In the wake of the foiled military coup in Turkey, the country’s ambassador to Pakistan has urged for the shutdown of all Pak-Turk schools and colleges which belong to the alleged US-based ‘mastermind of […]
The official demand has now apparently been watered down to transfer ownership/administration of these educational institutions to the official Maarif Foundation tasked by the Turkish government to encourage foreign governments to seize other Turkish educational foundations operating in those countries, possibly targeting enterprises run by individuals close to US-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen.
The dilemma for the Pakistani government is stark. Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim has warned that Turkey would be at war with any country that cooperates or aids the Gulen movement. Yet closing down schools that prepare their students for a modern society and economy is something Pakistan’s deeply troubled education sector can ill afford.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan condemned the expected move to close Pak-Turk schools across the country.
“We stand firmly by Turkish democracy but closure of Pak-Turk schools in Pakistan, which has a high illiteracy rate, could be disastrous for the country,” he said.
We should consider not only what people say about Fethullah Gülen, but what he says himself. Decades of speeches and publications make this possible and reveal certain attributes. For example, Gülen advocates a form of Sufi humanism. He seeks collaborative relationships across religious, cultural, and national borders. He is concerned about the poor and marginalized around the world.
If Pakistan does indeed give in to pressure from the Turkish government, the move will be ironic, given the number of madressahs currently operating in the country with established links to political, religious or denominational movements that have a more than suspected record of terrorism, violence and spurious religious indoctrination.
Renowned Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has strongly condemned the brutal terrorist attack on a children playground in the eastern city of Lahore, Pakistan that killed at least 72 and wounded more than 300 people, including many children.
I have learned with grief about the horrible terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan that took 70 lives, majority of whom women and children, and injured over three hundred people on a children’s playground. I condemn this attack in the strongest terms and on this sad occasion I reiterate my condemnation of all forms of terror regardless of their perpetrators or their stated purposes.
Pakistan and Turkey are two time-tested brotherly countries and the history of Turks is of great pride to Pakistanis. These were the remarks of Senate Standing Committee on Defence Production Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum at an event regarding 101st commemoration of Turkish Martyrs Day and Canakkale Victory.
Grand Finale of Pakistan round in the 14th Annual International Language and Culture Festival was held at Expo Centre Lahore on Saturday February 27, 2016. Minister Education Government of the Punjab, Rana Mashhod Ahmed and Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman were the guests of honour in the event.
With Rumi’s words, a roundtable discussion began at the Marriott hotel on Wednesday. The theme of the discussion was ‘Respect Differences and Diversity to Foster Peace and Harmony’ and was organised by the Rumi Forum, a Turkey-based organisation, which aims to bring people of diverse backgrounds together to exchange ideas and opinions and to provide a common platform for education and information exchange.