Pakistan supports closing Gulen schools: Turkish FM

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that Islamabad has pledged its full support in closing down schools and businesses across Pakistan linked to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

“The Fetullah terrorist organization is running a network of schools, colleges and businesses in Pakistan and other parts of the world. This group and its leader [Fetullah Gulen] who is based in U.S. now, were the masterminds of the failed military coup," Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad.

“Pakistan has assured us of its full cooperation in dealing with this very serious issue. We are sure that all possible actions will be taken in this regard,” he added. “Initialy, we had supported this network but we didn’t know that it had a hidden agenda.”

He said every legal and constitutional step was being taken to bring those behind the attempted July 15 coup to justice.

He also defended Turkey's decision to declare a state of emergency, saying it was not targeting ordinary citizens. Rebuffing criticism from Europe, he noted France imposed an ongoing state of emergency after the attacks in Paris earlier this year, something Turkey had not done in similar circumstances.

Cavusoglu also described Pakistan as a second home for Turks and thanked Pakistan for its support in the aftermath of the failed coup, which included passing resolutions in favor of democracy in parliament.

He also called for cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul, to help bring peace to neighboring Afghanistan.

Cavusoglu said the disputed status of Kashmir, held in parts by Pakistan and India, could only be resolved by negotiations between the two countries, rather than violence.

He also said Pakistan and Turkey would sign a free trade agreement by the end of the year which would boost business activity between the two countries.

Pakistan's foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan fully supports a democratic Turkey under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and praised the Turkish people for foiling the attempted coup.