F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr. Muhammad Farogh Naseem has said that the Turkish Maarif Foundation may collaborate with Pakistani Universities to establish special departments for Science and Technology.
He was talking to Ms. Semiha Saricam, Legal Expert, and Selahattin Batur, Country Head of the Turkish Maarif Foundation who called on him on Tuesday, to thank for his support in handing over the management of Pak-Turk Schools to Turkiye Maarif Foundation.
The Law Minister said that “the Turkish People are very close to our hearts and Pakistanis consider President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as their elder brother.”
He said “The roots of our love for Turkey are historical in nature. The Muslims of the Subcontinent supported Turkish during Khilafat Movement and then we supported Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, out of our love and affection for Turkey,” he added.
He said Urdu language has a lot of Turkish words and a number of Sufi saints migrated from Turkey to Pakistan. He said the reason behind most of the confusion in case of Pak-Turk Schools, was the love of a common Pakistani for Turkey.
He said many people in Pakistan, initially considered steps taken against the previous administration of Pak-Turk Schools as against Turkey and were opposed to them.
The Law Minister emphasized the need for people-to-people contacts between the peoples of both brotherly countries. He said although the Governments of both countries enjoy warm relations on the diplomatic front, both countries will further benefit if the contacts in the fields of education and culture are further enhanced.
He said top universities in Turkey can sign agreements with universities like Karachi University, Punjab University and other prominent universities in Pakistan in order to enable them benefit from the expertise provided by Turkish experts, especially in the fields of science and technology.
Ms. Semiha Saricam, thanked the Minister for the suggestion and expressed the desire to work together not only in the field of education but also in the field of e-governance. She said the students who will acquire diplomas from Pak-Turk Maarif Schools will be able to get scholarships for the top Turkish universities.
She said that the new era will be better for the friendship between both countries. Ms. Saricam expressed the hope that the Law Minister will visit Turkey soon and meet the officials at the Maarif Foundation, that is helping the education sectors in almost 50 countries around the world.
It may be mentioned that the the Supreme Court handed over the management of Pak-Turk schools to Turkiye Maarif Foundation on December 12, 2018.
