Category: Pakistan

Do Turks like Pakistanis?

F.M. a lawyer at Lahore High Court, Punjab (Pakistan) answers this question as follows:

Well, I am not a Turk but still want to answer this question:

There is a Turkish Restaurant in Lahore (Pakistan) owned by a Turk and most of the staff was Turkish as well. I went there with my stepmother and they served us so well and with so much hospitality that we were impressed. They even served us complimentary starters and complimentary tea and dessert as well.

I went there again after a month or so and ordered some food. I was served extra/complimentary lamb meat along with starters, tea and dessert. It was a generous gesture from the chef that I liked so much that I became a regular customer. And in that restaurant one does not feel uncomfortable at all which one generally does if going alone and for a person like me who always likes to go alone it was a heaven. I felt safe, warm, comfortable, ambiance was great and the food was amazing too.

So, in the end I would like to say that Turks are to us like our brothers and sisters. They are very nice and kind people. The culture, religion and values of Turkish people and Pakistanis are the same. I had a good experience with them so I think they do like us and we love them too as our brothers in Islam. 🙂

Edit: I wrote this answer a long time back and to answer some of the trolls saying that Turks hate Pakistanis I want to say that remember the time of 1922 when these same Muslims helped you in the First World War. Secondly, there can be many incidents where Pakistanis have quoted bad experiences with the Turkish people and it can be vice versa too but the thing is that these things happen everywhere and to maintain peace is the biggest key to success. Europe was once a fighting ground but they eliminated their differences to move on and prosper and they did. I wonder why all the Muslim countries are against each other when there is so many similar grounds to stay together and prosper. You guys like western or liberal countries where they keep you like a second or rather third class citizens but reject those Muslims who consider you brothers. What a shame.

August 17, 2023
Why does Pakistan love Turkey?

This is the father of Pakistan: Muhammad Ali Jinnah

And this here is his bedside book which he has carried throughout his life with himself and read many times: Grey Wolf

I think this must explain many things about Pakistan and Turkey relations.

Actually, it’s not only restricted to Pakistanis but also most of the Indian Muslims have historically very much positive attitude for Turkey in comparison to any of the other Muslim majority nations such as Saudi Arabia or Iran. This has many historical reasons which came until today in a chain reaction, but let’s just end it here inside of the nation-building history.

The last example:

Abdurrahman Peşaveri

A Kashmiri Pashtun, who came during the Balkan wars to help as a young man for the Ottoman army, became a high ranking officer later and was named after the Independence war led from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk the first director of the Turkish Anadolu Agency, the state news outlet of the new founded Republic of Turkey.

He was called “Lala Turki” (Turkish Brother) or “Çaça Turki” (Turkish Uncle) among the Turks. And just like him, hundreds of others have arrived to help the Turkish army during the Balkan wars, First World war, and Independence war of Turkey, or sent their precious belongings in fundraising actions to the Ottoman Empire or the newly founded Turkey. Since then, and especially after the establishment of Pakistan, their relations became extraordinary which lasts until today.

Agar Usmaniyon Par Koh-E-Gham Toota To Kya Gham Hai

Ke Khoon-E-Sad Hazar Anjum Se Hoti Hai Sahar Paida

If a mountain of grief collapsed upon the Ottomans, then why lament?

For the dawn arises from the blood of a hundred thousand stars.

-Allama Iqbal-

Alexei Yahontov

June 7, 2023
O.C. woman who gave money to fund terrorism gets five-year term

Türk Vatandaşı Ayşe Oytun Mihalik Pakistan’da teroristlere 2.050 Dolar yardım amaçlı para gönderdiği için 5 yıl hapis cezası aldı. Ne diyelim? Darısı Avrupa’da 1 kurşun parası daha diyerek döner satan PKK’lı dönercilerin başına.

O.C. woman who gave money to fund terrorism gets five-year term

Oytun Ayse Mihalik, 40, an Orange County pharmacist, admitted wiring $2,050 to Pakistan to be used to fund terrorist activities. Prosecutors had sought a 12-year prison sentence.

By Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times

March 30, 2013

An Orange County pharmacist who admitted to wiring $2,050 to Pakistan to be used to fund terrorist activities was sentenced Friday to five years in federal prison.

Oytun Ayse Mihalik, 40, a Turkish national and a permanent U.S. resident, pleaded guilty in August to one count of providing material support to terrorists for three money orders she sent over a month’s time in late 2010 and early 2011. Mihalik used a false name, “Cindy Palmer,” to send the funds, according to authorities.

Federal prosecutors had asked for a 12-year sentence for Mihalik, alleging that she provided the money to a man she met through a website, believing it was going to be used to harm U.S. troops. She was motivated by a “desire to participate in jihad” and knew the sum was “more than enough to finance an entire operation against the United States military forces,” they wrote, citing her email communications with the man.

They also noted that she had created a “favorite” tab for “The Al Qaeda Manual” on her laptop and in “privacy” mode had searched the terms “true jihad” and “Jihad in Afghanistan” on her Web browser.

Defense attorneys argued she was not motivated by radical ideology but acted during a time of vulnerability in her marriage, after she and her husband had difficulty getting pregnant and then experienced a miscarriage. She accessed the website out of worry for her brother, who was going on a pilgrimage to Pakistan, they contended in court filings.

“A reading of the emails themselves reveals that Ms. Mihalik was being solicited, and even manipulated,” they wrote, asking that Mihalik receive a 24-month sentence.

The woman came to authorities’ attention when her husband, Errol, called Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late 2010 after she moved out of their home for a trial separation, alleging she had married him under “false pretenses” for a green card. He described a new religious fervor in his wife after she took a monthlong trip to Turkey two years into their marriage.

“I go, ‘Listen, did you marry … me for my citizenship and do you want to harm someone here.’ And she looked at me blank and she said, ‘If I have to kill people for Allah, I will,’” Errol said in his initial report, according to a transcript filed with court papers.

Authorities said Friday that despite the small sum, Mihalik’s conduct was a serious crime.

“Money is the mother’s milk of terrorism, and we will move aggressively against those who provide financial support to groups and individuals bent on harming the U.S. and its allies,” Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for ICE’s Los Angeles office, said in a news release.

Mihalik, who was arrested in August 2011 as she was about to board a flight to Turkey on a one-way ticket, is expected to be deported after she finishes her sentence.

U.S. District Court Judge Josephine Staton Tucker handed down the sentence after considering a plea from Mihalik’s husband, who in a letter to the judge called the crime “completely out of character.” He wrote that his wife is “extremely dedicated to her family, work, love for America, and is entirely peace-loving.”

“I have never met such a remarkable individual and [am] completely in love with her,” Errol wrote.

via O.C. woman who gave money to fund terrorism gets five-year term – latimes.com.

April 1, 2013
Pak-Turkey air exercise concludes

* Five Turkish F16s, combat pilots participated in the exercise

ISLAMABAD: The international air exercise Indus Viper-II between the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Turkish Air Force (TuAF) concluded at an operational air base of the PAF on Sunday.

TuAF Chief of Operations Maj Gen Ares Mehmat was the chief guest at the culmination ceremony. PAF Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) Air Marshal Waseemud Din and Turkish Ambassador M Babur Hizlan were also present at the occasion. The Turkish Air Force contingent comprising five F16s C&D (Fighting Falcons), combat pilots and ground technical crew participated in the air exercise, conducted from March 4 to16.

The Pakistan Air Force emphasises on the combat training of its air and ground crew and regularly undertakes air exercises with allied air forces. These exercises not only play a vital role in honing the combat skills of PAF aircrew but also enable them to learn the latest air power employment strategies in complex theatres of warfare.

The prime objective of the exercise was to excel in the air combat capability with focus on air power employment in any future conflict. The Pakistan Air Force conducts such exercises on regular intervals both inland and abroad. Air Exercise Indus Viper II provided an opportunity to combat crew of both the air forces to acquaint themselves with applied tactics of air power in near real scenario.

Pakistan Air Force has been participating in a number of international air exercises with some of the best air forces of the world, including the United States Air Force (USAF), Italian Air Force, Turkish Air Force and air forces of other allied countries. Exercise Anatolian Eagle is conducted on alternate year. Similarly, exercises Red Flag and Green Flag are conducted between the PAF and USAF on alternate years. Last year the PAF conducted the operational exercise Shaheen-I with PLA Air Force.

The brotherly countries Pakistan and Turkey have a long history of military cooperation. To enhance mutual understanding between the two air forces, the PAF and TuAF have been successfully conducting joint exercises for many decades. Exercise Indus Viper-II was also planned in the same backdrop and is the second air exercise in this category. agencies

via Daily Times – Leading News Resource of Pakistan – Pak-Turkey air exercise concludes.

March 18, 2013
Turkey, Pakistan boost military ties

Turkey, Pakistan boost military ties

Security analysts and politicians say Turkey and Pakistan have strong military co-operation and many areas of mutual interest.

By Alakbar Raufoglu

2013-03-08

Turkey and Pakistan are expanding ties through joint military exercises and defence production, building on a long tradition of military co-operation.

Pakistani naval forces participate in a multinational counter-terrorism exercise, AMAN-13, around Manora Island, 30km from Karachi on the north Arabian Sea. Pakistan and Turkey are boosting their military co-operation, including counter-terror efforts. [REUTERS]

Pakistan’s defence minister, Syed Naveed Qamar, visited Ankara early this month to discuss with his Turkish counterparts the possibilities of local production, co-production, and transfer of technology for defence-related products according to the needs of the two countries.

Qamar referred to a recent agreement to build a fleet tanker for Pakistan’s navy by Turkish defence firm STM, describing it as “a best model for our future defence co-operation,” the Pakistani Embassy said in a statement.

Likewise, Ankara views a project to upgrade F-16 fighter jets of Pakistan undertaken by Turkish Aerospace Industries as a symbol of defence co-operation.

Turkey and Pakistan also decided to raise the level of the High Level Military Dialogue Group, an institutional mechanism that was created in 2002 between the two countries’ general staffs and has had eight meetings so far.

This week, the two countries began joint military exercises to contribute to defence co-operation and exchange of experience and information on military equipment, according to a statement by the Turkish general staff.

Five Turkish F-16s are participating in the Indus Viper-2013 exercise at the Mushaf Air Base in Punjab Province in Pakistan for the first time since 2008. The joint exercise runs from March 4-18.

A combined naval military exercise code-named AMAN-13 is also being hosted by Pakistan in the Arabian Sea, with the participation of Turkish frigate TCG Gokova (F-496), one underwater defence, an underwater assault team and two staff officers.

Defence co-operation goes hand in hand with anti-terror co-operation

In addressing the recent efforts, President Abdullah Gul, while meeting with Qamar last week, said, “the whole world recognises the sacrifices of the people and troops of Pakistan in fighting terrorism and extremism,” referring to the regional situation.

Celalettin Yavuz, a Middle East security analyst at the Ankara-based Centre for International Relations and Strategic Analysis, said that the Pakistani-Turkish defence relationship “is a special one marked by an immense reservoir of goodwill on both sides.”

“The thing is, our areas of interests are not crossing each other, even though there are some topics where the countries don’t follow the same policy. … But they have never been against each other,” he told SES Türkiye.

And Burhan Kayaturk, an AKP deputy and chairman of the Turkey-Pakistan Friendship Group in the Turkish parliament, highlighted the “strong co-operation potential” between the two countries’ defence systems.

Turkey, he added, “has never intended to implement hard power” in the region. Instead it is promoting leadership through “soft power” in diplomacy and the economy.

“However, we can’t stay calm when terrorists are targeting us, our people, our partners in the region. Pakistan and Turkey have more potential to work together and address the regional challenges,” he added.

via Turkey, Pakistan boost military ties – Central Asia Online.

March 10, 2013
Istanbul mayor pays rich

Istanbul mayor pays rich

tribute to CM

LAHORE: Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas said that the metro bus project has transformed the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkey into a solid reality.

In his letter, the Istanbul mayor, while paying rich tribute to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, expressed his belief that contrary to the past, instead of only words jugglery in the name of brotherly relations, “our ties will yield positive results in the future”. He said that Punjab would make bigger achievements than the metro bus project under the leadership of Shahbaz Sharif and the hard work of his team in the future.

Topbas said that the commitment and dynamic leadership displayed by the CM during the construction of the metro bus project would become an everlasting movement of exemplary cooperation between the people of both the countries. pr

via Daily Times – Leading News Resource of Pakistan – Istanbul mayor pays rich.

March 3, 2013