Ambassador of Turkey Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul says Turkey will never forget Pakistani support during difficult times: DC Hamza Shafqaat recognizes valiant struggle of Turkish people

Asnar M Bhatti

ISLAMABAD: – Ambassador of Turkey Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul has said on 15 July one of the most treacherous attempts was made on the people of Turkey with a view to making the Turkish people slaves, but the brave Turkish people valiantly thwarted that attempt.

Ostensibly, the Turkish people had to pay a price also. And what was that price; the price was bombing of the presidential palace; bombing of the Turkish national assembly and bombing of police headquarters; intelligence headquarters and Special Forces headquarters. But at the end of the day will the people prevailed and the move was vehemently rejected.

The ambassador expressed these views during a ceremony held in connection with commemoration ceremony for Democracy and National Unity Day, held at the Turkish embassy.

It was first diplomatic gathering, albeit a selective one, after four months span because of COVID 19.

The Ambassador further said, 15th of July coup attempt was planned by the FETO leadership and carried out by members of the organization, whom infiltrated into our army by disobeying the chain of command of the armed forces.

“We have never before witnessed such savagery and treachery in our history as the one exhibited by the perpetrators of this coup attempt: our Parliament Building, the Presidential complex, the building of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), buildings of the Turkish National Police, the Headquarters of the Police Special Operations Department located in Ankara were bombed by rogue pilots”.

While giving an account of what happened on July 15 the ambassador said Tanks were driven to the streets to mow down innocent civilians, while helicopters and jets dropped bombs from the air and shot everyone in sight. That night, two hundred and fifty one citizens were killed and more than two thousand people were injured.

He said, by brainwashing young minds at schools founded under the disguise of so-called training activities, they indoctrinated a large group of radical followers, who carried out the instructions of the organization’s leadership unquestioningly and violated all legal and moral norms.

Ambassador said in the past three years, the fight against FETO both inside and outside Turkey has constituted one of the main priorities of our State. Within Turkey, our efforts are being conducted under three pillars:  a) Firstly, on the basis of the rule of law, the perpetrators of the 15th of July coup attempt have been brought to justice.  b) FETO’s organizational structure within governmental institutions has been unveiled; administrative and judicial procedures have been initiated against its members and hence the “parallel state structure” has been brought down.

Ambassador Ihsan Mustafa thanked people of Pakistan and Pakistani governments for standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Turkey by extending whole hearted support. He said the FETO organization also made inroads into Pakistani society by establishing schools.

The ambassador also lauded role of the District Administration led by Deputy Commissioner Hamza Sahfqaat, which moved immediately and closed down all such schools in one single day.

The ambassador thanked the government of Pakistan and people of Pakistan who outright rejected ideology of the terrorist organization and put a ban on all these schools when the Turkish government requested for that.

Ambassador Mustafa further said this the moment which has been entrenched deep into our hearts, which I cannot express in words.

Hamza Shafqaat the Deputy Commissioner also spoke on the occasion and paid glowing tributes to Turkish people who bravely thwarted coup attempt. He said Turkish people live in the hearts of Pakistani people.

The DC assured that people of Pakistan would always stand side by side with its Turkish brothers and sisters whenever there is a need for that.

A pictorial exhibition was also arranged on the sidelines of the ceremony highlighting valiant struggle of brave Turkish people who rejected the coup and saved the democratically elected government of Republic of Turkey.