Tag: Turkey

  • Wasim Akram thinks Pakistan should take inspiration from Turkey

    Wasim Akram thinks Pakistan should take inspiration from Turkey

    Sultan of Swing Wasim Akram, who was recently vacationing in Turkey, says that Pakistan should take inspiration and model itself on Turkey.

    “If Pakistan should model itself on any country, it should be Turkey,” said the former left-arm pacer who was vowed by the Turkish people’s “hospitality, food and their ability to welcome the world”.

    “Pakistan has so many untapped resources, InshAllah we will get there one day,” added Akram in his tweet.

    Wasim, his wife Shaniera and their daughter Aiyla have been having a great time on their first trip to Turkey. They have been keeping their fans updated with pictures and videos from there.

    The former cricketer also referred to Istanbul as a “mesmerising city”.

    Wasim enjoying the delights of Istanbul

    Turkey appears to be Pakistanis favourite vacation spot this season. Several Pakistani celebrities including Komal Aziz Khan, Imran Abbas and Kinza Hashmi have also been spotted there.

  • ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim

    ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim

    After the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan in the grey-list till February, Indian media reports have claimed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey was the only country to back Pakistan at the plenary meeting of the global anti-money laundering watchdog while China bailed out.

    The FATF, also known by its French name, Groupe d’action financière, is an intergovernmental organisation that combats money laundering. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.

    Pakistan was placed on the FATF’s grey list in 2018 whereas in February 2019, the country had secured an extra four months to complete the plan after missing 13 of the 27 targets set by the global watchdog.

    According to reports, Turkey, during October 23’s plenary, proposed a special visit to Islamabad to make an onsite assessment of the Imran Khan government’s implementation to plug holes in its legal framework to curb terror financing.

    READ: ‘Successful implementation’: Hammad Azhar says FATF blacklisting off the table

    The suggestion was seen as an effort to let Pakistan off the hook for now and immediately place it on the white list but was not supported by any other country, including allied China and Malaysia.

    “Out of 27 points, we have implemented 21 points given by the authorities concerned regarding FATF, ” Minister for Revenue Hammad Azhar said while talking to a private television channel after the watchdog decided to retain Pakistan on its grey list.

    Except India, every country had appreciated the efforts of Pakistan for satisfying the people dealing FATF, he added.

    BLACKLISTING OFF THE TABLE:

    In a statement, FATF urged Pakistan to complete an internationally agreed action plan by February 2021. FATF said Pakistan had now reached 21 targets out of 27 set for it in 2018 when Pakistan was placed on FATF’s “grey list” of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing.

    But Pakistan still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity, FATF said.

    The watchdog also asked Islamabad to demonstrate that terrorism financing probes resulted in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.

    “FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now,” Pakistani federal minister Hammad Azhar tweeted.

    Azhar, who leads Pakistan’s delegation at FATF plenary meetings, said the forum’s discussions were focused on how Pakistan could be supported in meeting its targets before a formal review in the middle of next year.

  • Kinza Hashmi gives us a reason to travel

    Pakistani actress Kinza Hashmi is vacationing in Turkey and has been posting about her drool-worthy trip on Instagram.

    Kinza shot to fame after her role in the drama, Gul-o-Gulzar and joining many others as they vacation in Turkey, she has also shared some beautiful spots of the country.

    Hashmi expressed her love for travelling and exploring places in a post captioned, “If you never go, you will never know” and ” Good things come to those who book flights “.

    Hashmi shared her thoughts with a picture in which she wrote, “Life is short and the world is wide so get out there and explore it”.

    She also shared the night view of Bebek Sahil in Arnavutköy, Beşiktaş, a visiting site in Turkey with caption, “The view was a 10/10”.

    The video she posted of enjoying in a boat made us all feel the same way she felt: “Go where you feel the most alive”.

    According to Kinza,”People don’t take trips, trips take people”. She thinks that the captivating sites and places confine people in their magic from which they cannot escape.

  • Saudi Arabia suggests citizens ‘boycott everything Turkish’ after Erdogan’s accusations

    Saudi authorities called upon citizens to “boycott everything Turkish” following a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan where he accused some Gulf countries of pursuing policies that were destabilising the region, Gulf News reported.

    “The boycott of everything Turkish, whether on the level of import, investment or tourism, is the responsibility of every Saudi — trader and consumer — in response to the continued hostility of the Turkish government against our leadership, our country and our citizens,” Saudi Arabia’s Chamber of Commerce head Ajlan Al Ajlan said.

    In addition to accusing some Gulf countries of targeting Turkey and following policies that led to instability, the Turkish president had, during an address to the country’s General Assembly, also said: “It should not be forgotten that the countries in question did not exist yesterday, and probably will not exist tomorrow; however, we will continue to keep our flag flying in this region forever, with the permission of Allah.”

    Relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been thorny especially since the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi that took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

    Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government but has never directly blamed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to be behind the gruesome murder.

    Earlier this week, Turkey indicted six Saudi suspects in Khashoggi’s murder case. None of the suspects are in Turkey and will be tried in absentia. Twenty Saudi nationals are already on trial in an Istanbul court for Khashoggi’s killing.

    The indictment came weeks after a Saudi court overturned five death sentences issued after a closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia that ended last year, sentencing them to 20 years in prison instead.

    Recently, Erdogan also condemned the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain’s decision to normalise ties with Israel. After the announcement of normalisation of ties between UAE and Israel, Erdogan had warned Turkey could suspend diplomatic relations with the Gulf state in response.

    Turkey has had diplomatic relations with Israel for decades, but under President Erdogan, has positioned itself as a champion of the Palestinians.

  • Pakistan breaks silence on reports claiming its army is fighting Armenia alongside Azerbaijan

    Pakistan breaks silence on reports claiming its army is fighting Armenia alongside Azerbaijan

    Pakistan has refuted “irresponsible” reports claiming that Pakistan Army is fighting alongside Azerbaijani forces against Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

    According to reports, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said the reports were “speculative and baseless”.

    “Pakistan is deeply concerned over the deteriorating security situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region,” Chaudhri said while reiterating Pakistan’s position on the conflict.

    The spokesperson also said that intensive shelling by Armenian forces on the civilian populations of Azerbaijan is reprehensible and most unfortunate.

    “This could compromise peace and security of the entire region. Armenia must stop its military action to avoid further escalation,” the spokesperson said.

    Chaudhri said that Pakistan supports Azerbaijan’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that the position was in line with the “several unanimously adopted United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions”.

    The statement comes as tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan forces continued to heighten despite the world’s calls for ceasefire.

    Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a simmering conflict for decades over the region and new fighting that erupted on Sunday has been the heaviest in decades. Nearly 200 people, including 30 civilians, have died amid fears of a multi-front war that could suck in regional powers Turkey and Russia.

  • British vlogger Jay Palfrey converts to Islam

    British vlogger Jay Palfrey converts to Islam

    British YouTuber J. Palfrey has converted to Islam.

    In a video titled ‘I became a Muslim’, the YouTuber shared his experience and what lead him to embrace Islam.

    He said that he did not intend to share his journey with anyone but later changed his mind.

    “I was originally not going to share this with you, but a lot of people have found peace and inspiration in my journey through researching Islam,” said Palfrey in the video.

    He said that his visits to Muslim countries inspired him to take this decision.

    “As I travelled around the world, I met wonderful people. During my constant travels, I learned a lot and gained experience, but at the same time, I had the opportunity to understand spiritual existence, … While living in Islamic countries, I also came to understand the truth of Islam, which is a very beautiful, peaceful but most misunderstood religion,” he said.

    Palfrey thanked all the fans for their support and said that he has been receiving many messages following his announcement.

    The Youtube star also shared a video on his reasons for converting to Islam. He also recorded his mother’s reaction when he told her about his conversion.

    The British travel vlogger has around 534,000 subscribers on YouTube. Earlier, a Canadian traveller Rosie Gabrielle has converted to Islam. The traveller took to social media to make the announcement and share the reasons behind the decision.

  • UAE dispatches fighter jets to support allies against Turkey

    UAE dispatches fighter jets to support allies against Turkey

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is once again deploying its air force in support of allied countries that share its strong opposition to Turkey’s attempts to extend its military reach in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.

    The UAE is sending between two and four warplanes to the Greek island of Crete for joint training exercises with the Hellenic Air Force following talks between senior Greek and Emirati military officials. 

    The UAE’s air force previously participated in military exercises in Greece in 2019, with Emirati pilots flying alongside their Israeli counterparts, among others. 

    What’s notable about this deployment, however, is its timing. France has also just sent two Dassault Rafale jets to Crete in a show of support to Greece as its dispute with Turkey over gas and oil exploration and drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and the delineation of maritime boundaries escalates.

    Turkey recently sent warships to escort a research ship for a drilling survey in waters claimed exclusively by Greece.

    On August 14, one of these warships suffered a minor collision with a Hellenic Navy warship that the Greek side said was an accident. On August 22, Turkish air and naval forces carried out exercises in the Aegean Sea that included F-16 jets in a show of force. 

    Turkey has a significantly larger air force than the UAE, as well as Greece, that consists of over 200 F-16s and 40 F-4 Phantoms. The UAE has over 70 F-16s and about 60 French-built Mirage 2000s. While smaller, the Emirati fleet flies more advanced F-16s than the Turks: the Block 60 one-seater E and two-seater F variants built especially for the UAE air force.

    Turkey and the UAE have been locked in an increasingly bitter cold war in recent years.

    Turkey’s incumbent ruling party, alongside its close ally Qatar, is a strong supporter and patron of Muslim Brotherhood groups across the region. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, strongly oppose the Brotherhood and support regimes that suppress it, such as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s regime in Egypt. Both countries also began blockading Qatar in July 2017. Turkey and the UAE have also been on the polar opposite sides of regional proxy conflicts, most notably the one in Libya. 

    The UAE’s decision to send some fighter jets to demonstrate its support of Greece in its dispute with Turkey is another example of Abu Dhabi’s consistent opposition to Ankara’s regional policies in this multi-front cold war. 

    UAE allies Egypt and France also strongly oppose Turkey’s policies in the Eastern Mediterranean and support Greece. These policies also include Turkey’s drilling for natural gas in the Republic of Cyprus’ economic exclusion zone (EEZ) and its agreement with Libya’s UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) to create an EEZ that claims huge swathes of the Mediterranean between their two distant coasts.

    Today, it’s still highly unlikely Turkey and the UAE jets will clash. Nevertheless, such a possibility cannot be totally dismissed out of hand so long as both rivals continuously find themselves facing each other down in tense flashpoints like the Eastern Mediterranean and volatile conflict zones like Libya.

    The article originally appeared on Forbes.

  • Indians are having a meltdown over Aamir Khan’s meeting with Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan

    Aamir Khan, who is currently in Turkey for the shooting of his film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, has met the Turkish first lady, Emine Erdoğan, drawing strong reactions from Indians, who are not happy with the meeting that took place Saturday, India’s Independence day. 

    According to reports, Aamir had requested the meeting, as he wanted to update Erdoğan about the work of Paani Foundation, a non-profit organisation set up by the actor and his wife Kiran Rao.

    The main reason behind Indians’ outrage was that Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has always condemned Indian brutality in occupied Kashmir and extended his support to Pakistan and Kashmiris following the troubled valley’s illegal annexation.  

    The Kashmir conflict can be solved not by conflict or oppression, but on the basis of justice and fairness, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said in his address to Pakistani parliament in Islamabad.

    The Turkish leader had also called President of Pakistan on Eidul Azha and shared their views on different issues.

    A tweet by the president’s office read, “President Dr Arif Alvi and President Erdoğan exchanged Eidul Azha greetings in a telephonic conversation. Important matters, including Kashmir and COVID-19 were discussed.”

     With Aamir meeting Erdoğan, Indians called him “anti-national” and expressed their disappointment.

    https://twitter.com/tarun_priyanshu/status/1295260188228771842?s=20
    https://twitter.com/Bhavana17851510/status/1294998721143476227?s=20
    https://twitter.com/Gyana46465996/status/1294995521082241024?s=20

    Some also came forward in the defence of the actor and posted pictures of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi with the Turkish leader.

    https://twitter.com/Nadeem_gaur92/status/1295076278769455109?s=20
  • Turkey with Pakistan on Kashmir: president

    Turkey with Pakistan on Kashmir: president

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has assured Turkey’s support for Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir dispute, President Dr Arif Alvi has said.

    According to a statement by the President’s Office, the two counterparts held a telephonic conversation in which they “exchanged Eidul Azha greetings” besides discussing the Kashmir issue and the coronavirus pandemic.

    President Alvi said that occupation regimes were continuing their “extreme repression” in Palestine and Indian occupied Kashmir even during the coronavirus pandemic.

    “[The] Turkish president assured that his country would continue to support Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir as both brotherly countries have similar goals.”

    Erdogan also invited Alvi to visit Turkey after the end of the pandemic.

    While congratulating Erdogan on the reopening of Istanbul’s historical Hagia Sophia as a mosque after nearly nine decades, President Alvi “reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast support to Turkey on its legitimate interests and assured that Pakistan will continue its policy to provide Turkey with all possible support”.

    The Turkish leader also called Prime Minister Imran Khan and the two leaders shared their views on a range of issues.

    The prime minister too felicitated Erdogan on reopening of the Hagia Sophia for prayers and told him that “millions of Pakistanis watched it live on television”, according to a tweet by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

    During their conversation, Prime Minister Imran recalled Erdogan’s visit to Pakistan for the sixth session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in February and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to “further fortify bilateral cooperation” in all areas.

    “Pakistan deeply appreciates Turkey’s steadfast support for the just cause of Kashmir, which President Erdogan reaffirmed during his address to the joint session of parliament in February 2020,” the PMO said.

    Erdogan’s contact with the Pakistani leadership comes days before the world marks one year since India revoked the semi-autonomous status of occupied Kashmir and split it into two federal territories, causing further determination in New Delhi’s ties with Islamabad.

  • Madrassa students qualify for finals of Turkey’s biggest tech competition

    Madrassa students qualify for finals of Turkey’s biggest tech competition

    Students from Jamia Bait-ul-Salam, Talagang, have qualified for the final round of TEKNOFEST 2020 that will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from September 22 to 27.

    According to reports, Blatu, the Bait-ul-Salam team has topped the category of Technology for Humanity-Social Innovation with 87 points out 100.

    Earlier in 2019, Jamia Bait-ul-Salam has won robotics competition beating participants from 20 other universities that were held at HITEC University Taxila.

    Hamza Ali Abbasi also took to social media to applaud the students.

    https://www.facebook.com/hamzaaliabbasi/posts/3369483186448665

    Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3) organize the TEKNOFEST Aerospace and Technology Festival every year in a bid to make Turkey a technology producing society.

    Many students from different institutions participate in TEKNOFEST to showcase their abilities in more than a dozen different categories.