Zubair Qureshi
Ambassador of Turkey Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul on Wednesday, at a simple but graceful ceremony paid tributes to the martyrs of the aborted military coup of July 15, 2016 and vowed their sacrifice would not go in vain.
“They lost their lives but ensured a peace-loving, democratic and enlightened Turkey and their countrymen would continue to cherish their memories for the days to come,” said the ambassador while addressing a ceremony marking the 4th anniversary of the aborted military coup in which around 251 people lost their lives while hundreds were injured.
This was the first of its kind reception held at the spacious courtyard of the embassy, the first diplomatic event—maintaining all the SOPs and social distancing since—since the outbreak of pandemic in Pakistan.
Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat was the chief guest at the ceremony while Faisal Raza Khan a noted journalist also spoke on the occasion and eulogized sacrifices of the people and the armed forces of Turkey against a handful of the followers of terrorist Fetullah Gülen and his organization FETÖ.
According to the Turkish envoy, it went to the credit of the Pakistan government which responded swiftly to the call of the Turkish government and launched a crackdown on Gulen’s organization that had spread its tentacles across the country under the garb of education and charity.
Ambassador Ihsan also commended the role of the DC Islamabad who ‘didn’t pause for a minute in making decisions and launched an operation against the terrorist organization.’
Today, the schools that were being run by FETO’s operatives have been taken over by the Turkish Maarif Foundation and they are doing excellent job, he said. The ambassador said FETO and its like organizations were a constant threat to the sovereignty, dignity and rule of law and could resume their operations any time. He cautioned the Pakistani government to beware of it “lest we should see a repeat of what we have seen in Turkey.”
The Turkish envoy reiterated his government and the nation’s resolve to wipe out the remnants of the terrorist organization FETO and its leader Fetullah Gülen the mastermind of the July 15 coup.
Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat while expressing his gratitude to the Turkish envoy for extending invitation said people of Pakistan felt Turkey as if it was their second home. “We are bound in the bond of friendship and brotherhood, Excellency, even before the establishment of Pakistan and would continue to do whatever we could to support and express solidarity with our Turkish brothers and sisters, ‘’ said Hamza Shafqaat.
Faisal Raza Khan while remembering the fateful night of July 15, 2016 said it was like a nightmare and he kept calling his friends in Turkey as well as his Turkish friends in Pakistan to keep updated and to know if the country and its great people had thwarted the threat posed by the dark forces of the terrorist outfit FETO and its chieftain Gulen.
