Thank you Turkey! :)!

[DRaisinHerald]

@ Qausar

don't thank,answer me.

LOL, what exactly are you on about? What's your question?

 

[Alpery]

I had a conversations with some Turkish friends about the role of Pakistan in Turkiye's History. Most of them replied that they actually received little to no education about the Muslim League or how Muslims in the British Raj armies sent to fight Ataturk switched sides.

Most recall Turkiye sending soldiers to S. Korea.

Most of them had been educated in Left-wing leaning schools. Can some Turks on this forum try to clarify some more?

Appreciated heavily.

shortly..yes, Pakistan helped to Turkiye at our independence war......forget about left-wing or rigth-wing.

 

[VelocuR]

rabia sister, read this lovely story

Turkish girl’s gesture!

A nine-year-old Turkish girl has donated her one-year’s pocket money of 150 Turkish liras and her doll to flood-affected children of Pakistan.

In line with the sublime affection demonstrated by Turkish people for their Pakistani brethren, Merve Tekinay, who hails from Konya which is known for the shrine of sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi, has also written a letter to President Asif Ali Zardari.

President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said on Friday that in the hand-written letter in Turkish language, the nine-year-old also promised more help. “I will go on sending my help. Don’t hesitate, we are your best friend,” she wrote. “I send you one-year pocket money and my doll.”

She wrote that although she was a small girl she came to know about the floods and was saddened.

“My daddy told me that you helped us a lot during our war of independence. So now it is our turn to help you.

“I write this letter because I want you to know that we are all informed about this,” the letter said.

Read more: Turkish girl

 

[VelocuR]

Pakistani Ambassador to Turkey: 'Our countries' friendship is difficult to describe in words'


Pakistani Ambassador to Turkey Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, who is a retired general, says that he and his wife Shamim Akthar always feel at home when they are in Turkey and they try to give the same feeling to their guests.

According to Mr. Ambassador, the greatness of the Turkish nation derives from the fact that Turks do not forget a good deed from another nation. He recalls that during the Turkish War of Independence Pakistanis were there to help; subsequently when there was an earthquake in Pakistan one could see banners all over Ankara declaring "It is our turn." Ambassador Shah continues by citing other commonalities between the two countries like 7,000 words shared between Turkish and Urdu.
"It is very difficult to describe the friendship between Turkey and Pakistan in words," says Pakistani Ambassador Shah and his wife nods in agreement.

They have a point. Almost everyone in Turkey, even those who are not interested in international relations, have some idea about this old and deep relation between the two countries. Turkish history textbooks mention the solidarity and help from Pakistanis during the War of Independence. Most Turks in their 30s know the song "Cive Pakistan" because during the 1980s, when both countries were ruled by military governments, the heads of state Gen. Kenan Evren in Turkey and Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq frequently visited each other. The song was played widely on TV and in the streets during such visits.

Ambassador Shah and his wife say that whenever they go to Turkey, they always feel welcome. They are both thankful to the Turkish citizens who make them feel so at home and the couple does their best to provide the same hospitality to those who visit them at their residence in Ankara. The doors of their home are open to everyone. From the first moment their guests arrive, they are made to feel right at home.

Mrs. Shah receives us at the door; she does not hesitate to kiss me although this is our first meeting and she speaks to and welcomes me in such a way that an observer might think we have known each other for a long time. Despite her traditional clothing, she does not fit into the stereotypical view of Pakistani women because of her very pale face. She smiles warmly after I impolitely ask her about this.

"Pakistan is a very big country; it has different regions and in the region I come from there are many Pakistanis with colored eyes [as opposed to brown-eyed]," she explains.

Not only Mr. Ambassador, who enters the room wearing a broad smile, but also the other embassy staff have the same attitude -- everyone is very polite and tries their best to make sure that guests feel at home. They were even willing to let our photographer have a look around, including the private parts of their home, in order to find the most suitable background for taking their pictures. When we mentioned the fact that photographing them has almost become a form of torture for our hosts because of all the preparations, Mr. Ambassador and his wife laugh and once again ask us to feel at home -- and we do.

"I am very surprised and rather saddened by the fact that although there are so many communalities of language, culture and history [between our countries], somehow the younger generation in Turkey is unaware of them," Mr. Ambassador says, when we are discussing Urdu, the language of Pakistan.

"Urdu is actually a Turkish word. How did this language come to be? When the Mongolian Emperor Babur invaded [the area that includes modern-day Pakistan] all his soldiers were Turks and spoke Turkish. Babur also had Turkish origins from one of his parents. Once they came, they started to interact with the locals, who were speaking their own local language. Because of this interaction, some words from the local language and the Turkish language were taken up and a new language emerged which was spoken only by the soldiers; this is why it is called Urdu, meaning ordu [the Turkish word for army]," he explains, adding, "Some of the soldiers stayed, married locals and had a very strong cultural influence."

Mrs. Shah mentions that there are many common words between the two languages, and her husband continues, saying: "There are about 7,000 words in common. Some of them are not of Turkish origin but come from Arabic. The scripts were also the same until the establishment of the modern Turkish Republic. We can read, although we don't completely understand, some of the [inscriptions on] old monuments [in Turkey]," he says.

Then Ambassador Shah and his wife give some examples, saying: "You say Kemal, we say Kemal, you say Ayşe we say Ayşa." They mention that not only the name of the language but also the name of Pakistan has Turkish origins; pak means pure in Turkish and has the same meaning in Urdu. So the meaning of Pakistan is the land of the pure. "This is a linguistic cultural [connection]. This is [found] nowhere else; this sort of linkage you don't have anywhere else," he says.

When asked if it is difficult to learn Urdu, they say that it is not and turn to one of their staff, G+-neş Hanım, who is Turkish but speaks Urdu. When she says in Turkish, "There are many similarities but the pronunciation is different," Mr. Ambassador laughs -- all the words used by G+-neş Hanım are also words in Urdu.

Turkish-Pakistani marriages and the magic of Turkish girls

Turkey and Pakistan are trying to develop this very deep-rooted relation in every field. One means of doing this is through student-exchange programs, especially military cadets. So far more than 5,000 cadets have participated in the exchange program. Ambassador Shah says that the aim is not simply training:

"We have regular exchange programs for our officers who attend the army academies. Turks are also going to Pakistan to do mid-career and advanced courses. This is a matter of reciprocity. The purpose is not only education, because what you are teaching here has been taught in Pakistan and what has been taught in Pakistan has been taught here, too. The main purpose of sending these officers and having these courses is to allow these officers come here, live here and make friends with their Turkish brothers, sisters and families. They should have this experience as a lasting memory," he says.

Mr. Ambassador mentions very proudly that he recently participated in two different graduation ceremonies and in both cases the foreign students which were picked to give speeches were Pakistanis. "They delivered their statements in Turkish. The people told me that their pronunciation was absolutely perfect," he says, adding with a smile, "The wife of one of them is Turkish, this probably had an influence."

Mr. Ambassador has military origins too; he is a retired lieutenant general. He is a pilot and served as an instructor at the Pakistani Military Academy, School of Army Air Defense and Air Force Staff College. He also served as a communications minister. Turkey is his first post as a diplomat.

"Well, you see I am not a diplomat. I am basically from the army which has made me straightforward and frank. In diplomacy you have to be diplomatic in saying things. As a diplomat you have to project your country's point of view and interests if there is difference of opinion. I am not talking about Turkey, we have no problems at all. I am just speaking generally; if you want to convince people, you have to be careful with your language. Diplomacy is for developing relations and removing misunderstandings," he says.

When the conversation shifts to the topic of Turkish-Pakistani marriages -- which are not common but not totally unheard of either since so many Pakistanis come to Turkey for higher education -- Mr. Ambassador says, "The magic of these marriages does not come from the Pakistani boys, but from the Turkish girls." Everyone in the room laughs at this comment. Mrs. Ambassador adds that the marriages between Turks and Pakistanis are happy ones.


Mr. Ambassador adds that he admires the cleanliness of Turkey. "What struck me and my wife is that individuals and society are very clean. I like it," Mr. Ambassador says. He adds that another thing which has impressed them and that they wish they had in Pakistan -- and are actually working toward -- is the good education system.

The Pakistani Embassy in Ankara has a study group attended by Pakistani children and those of diplomats from other countries; even some children from prominent Turkish families attend. The ambassador says that the Pakistani study group had been meeting in an apartment but Turkish officials decided to grant them the necessary land to build a school. The language used for teaching is English and graduates received a Cambridge certificate.

Mrs. Shah adds that there are nine Turkish schools in Pakistan.

The greatness of Turkish people: not to forget

During the last earthquake in Pakistan there was a story in the Turkish national press that the Pakistani Embassy received a letter from a Turkish citizen saying the sender had only two lira and was sending one to Pakistan. When Ambassador Shah and his wife were reminded of the letter, they become sentimental.

"That was just one case; however, there were so many more. The friendship between Pakistan and Turkey is so deep-rooted. It is very difficult to describe in words. Let me tell you, the people of the subcontinent -- when there was no Pakistan -- took part and sent help to their brothers and sisters in Turkey for their independence. Some volunteers, including doctors, came. The greatness of the Turkish nation is apparent in that they have not forgotten these deeds, although more than 80 years have passed. They remember it as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. We are also impressed when we tell a Turkish person that we are from Pakistan and he responds by telling us what our ancestors have done for his country. You often do a good deed for a man and have him forget by the very next day, but the Turkish nation does not," Mr. Ambassador explains.

Ambassador Shah says that the Pakistanis will also remember the aid that was sent from Turkey during the earthquake: "During the earthquake in Pakistan you must have seen the banners all over Ankara which read 'It is our turn now.' I saw children coming to the embassy and ladies in tears. The tears were streaming down their cheeks. You cannot fake that. This is the phenomenon that we witnessed. The people were coming to donate their personal jewelry. All of the jewelry that we collected, instead of selling it in the market, we put it in a frame and presented it to the president of Pakistan so that future generations can see what their brothers and sisters in Turkey did for them," he says.

 

[W.11]

i dunno abt pakistani muslims but it were the indian muslims in general who helped the turks

 

[A1Kaid]

That is such an old yet classic article. I remember when I first read that years ago...

In fact I first became interested in Turkiye when I was eight years old and read a book about the country and realized it was similar to my own Pakistan.

 

[Deno]

i dunno abt pakistani muslims but it were the indian muslims in general who helped the turks

It was Subcontinent muslims... There was no Pakistan back than but that doesn't change the fact that they were the forefathers of Pakistani people...

Just because there was no offical Pakistan back than doesn't change the fact that Sub-continent muslims helped in our darkest times and doesn't change the fact that our people feel very gratefull towards a helping hand

 

[VelocuR]

i dunno abt pakistani muslims but it were the indian muslims in general who helped the turks

You deadly wrong. It is Pakistani who are Muslims who came to Pakistan.

“One Nation – Two States” is the phrase that best describes the relations between Turkey and Pakistan. There is no parallel of such interstate relations anywhere. Relations between the two peoples started in the early twenties during the Turkish War of Independence. Formal relations between the two countries have been in existence for the last 63 years, since Pakistan came into being on Aug. 14, 1947 as a result of relentless political struggle spearheaded by Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Relations between both the countries are deeply rooted in history. The Muslims of South Asia, now the people of Pakistan, had always kept the cause of freedom and independence of their Turkish brethren as their very own sacred cause. The support and solidarity extended by the Muslims of South Asia to Turkey’s national war of independence is embedded deep in the collective memory of the Turkish people. The people of Pakistan also perceive it as a part of their own independence movement. Muslims of the sub-continent rejoiced over the victory of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father and the first governor general of Pakistan, showed an immense appreciation for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. On the occasion of the presentation of credentials by the first Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan on March 4, 1948, Jinnah said, “the progress of your revolution, the rise and career of the great Atatürk, his revitalization of your nation by his great statesmanship, courage and foresight, are well known to the people of Pakistan.” Jinnah talked so much about Atatürk at home that his young daughter, Dina Wadia, started calling him (Jinnah) Grey Wolf, the name of Armstrong’s famous book on Mustafa Kemal.

OPINION - “One Nation – Two States.” 63 years of Pakistan independence and Pak-Turk relations

To speak my mind, peoples of both the countries are quite emotional about each other. Progress made by one country makes the other proud. Same level of development, or even better level, is wished for the other. I was amazed to note one comment by a Pakistani of Turkish origin: “We should think about a dual citizenship system whereby a Turkish citizen is automatically a Pakistani citizen and vice versa.” Some refer to Turkey as Pakistan with a red flag while others will refer to Pakistan as Turkey with a green flag. We are truly “One Nation and Two States.”

Despite the challenges of terrorism and global recession, the World Bank report “Doing Business in 2010” declared Pakistan to be the number one country for doing business in South Asia. Such is the case with Turkey as well. To our happiness and admiration, Turkey has also achieved tremendous progress on the economic front. It has achieved economic stabilization over the last decade and its economy grew at a higher rate than regional competitors.

 

[Omar1984]

i dunno abt pakistani muslims but it were the indian muslims in general who helped the turks

Punjabi Muslims mostly helped Turkey gained its independence, almost all Punjabi Muslims live in Pakistan

 

[Omar1984]

 

[Deno]

Omar1984

Thank you! This was an awesome documentry!! I really loved evey minute of it. Thanks again.

 

[Xestan]

Wow, very nice documentary. Thanks for sharing brother Omar

 

[damm1t]

Punjabi Muslims mostly helped Turkey gained its independence, almost all Punjabi Muslims live in Pakistan

yes did, they helped us against powers who tried to invade our country but they have failed in the end..the freedom and independence terms mean a lot for we turks, we have never been under a third part domination, we cant and we will not..so this issue takes place in our national anthem ;

Ben ezelden beridir Hür yaşadım, Hür yaşarım,
Hangi çılgın bana zincir vuracakmış, şaşarım..
I have been free from eternity and forever will be so
What madman shall put me in chains! I defy the very idea!

 

[Ottoman-Turk]

i will rather die than being ruled by another country especially west / christian

 

[what]

You're allready ruled by the west, according to your profile you're living in England.