The fraternal Pakistan-Turkiye relations go back centuries and are embedded in the common religious, cultural, linguistic and spiritual heritage that transcends boundaries of time and geography and seeps down to the very hearts of the people of two countries. It is a tale of brotherhood based on selfless devotion, love and sacrifice with strong foundation in history.
The Muslims of the subcontinent now Pakistan had a very strong sense of reverence and attachment for the Ottoman Empire. Time and again, they stepped up to extend all possible support to thwart any threat against Turkish brothers. When the Ottoman Empire was attacked by Russia in 1877, Hassanally Effendi, the founder of Sindh Madressatul Islam, came forward with all the support. Sultan Abdul Hamid was so impressed of his contributions towards the Turkish people, that he granted him two of the highest Turkish titles of ‘Effendi’ and ‘Bey’ in 1889.
This was neither the first nor the last act of its kind - Muslims of South Asia now Pakistan always stood with their Turkish brothers. They defied their colonial rulers, left their homes and donated their belongings in support of cause of Turkish independence. Hundreds of South Asian Muslims like Abdur Rehman Peshawari abandoned their homes to spend the rest of their lives for the defence of Turkish people and their land during the war of Turkish Independence.
Muslims of South Asia shared strong linguistic and intellectual links with Anatolia. ‘Urdu’, the national language of Pakistan, is itself derived from Turkish word ‘Ordu’, meaning army. Urdu contains around six thousand words from Turkish language. The spiritual and political thought of national poet of Pakistan, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, was inspired from great mystic poet Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, as well as the great historical upheavals faced by Ottoman Empire in his times. One of the greatest poems of Iqbal Tule-e-Islam (Dawn of Islam) was inspired in 1923 by Turkish victories and is effused with the sense of great optimism and hope for the future of Turkish nation. The victory of Turkish nationalist forces served as a source of inspiration for the Muslims of the subcontinent in their struggle for freedom.
Not only Iqbal, the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammed Ali Jinnah was also a great admirer of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Turkish war of Independence also served as an inspiration for Pakistan Movement. It helped crystallize the amorphous political ideas of universal solidarity, sense of unique historical identity, anti-colonial resistance and a desire for political revival into a concrete conception of Muslim nationalism in south Asia, culminating in the spirit behind the Pakistan Movement, thus resulting in the creation of Pakistan.
When the two countries established diplomatic relations after the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the centuries old legacy of friendship and brotherhood acquired a new vigor and set the tone for the future relations between modern states of Pakistan and Turkiye. Malik Feroz Khan Noon, later the Prime Minister of Pakistan, visited Turkiye as a special envoy of the then Governor General Quaid-e-Azam and represented Pakistan at the National day celebrations in Ankara on 29 October 1947. The importance given to diplomatic ties between the two countries can be easily inferred from the fact that renowned Turkish poet Yahya Kemal Beyatli was appointed as Turkiye’s first ambassador to Pakistan. Also, Mian Bashir Ahmed, the first ambassador of Pakistan to Turkiye, was a leading luminary of Urdu literature.
In essence, the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Turkiye are a manifestation of a unique friendship, marked by the convergence of views and perspectives on issues of regional and international importance. Both countries laid the foundation for a common regional approach for peace and development, by constituting Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD), between Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye in 1964. The RCD became Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in 1985, later joined by member states from Central Asia. Both countries have consistently and unequivocally supported each other on issues of national security as well as core national interest including Jammu and Kashmir dispute and the Cyprus issue. During the crisis in Cyprus, Pakistan extended complete and unwavering support to Turkiye. Pakistan also immediately dispatched a medical team, which was the first humanitarian support mission by any country to reach Turkiye during the crisis. In continuation of the abiding tradition of always standing by each other, the leadership and people of Pakistan conveyed their strong support and solidarity for the democratic institutions of Turkiye and was amongst the first countries to unequivocally condemn the coup attempt on 15th July 2016. Likewise, Turkiye has always supported Kashmiris right to self-determination at all international fora.
During my tenure here in Turkiye, first as a Consul General in Istanbul and now as an ambassador in Ankara, I came across multiple situations, where I found mutual affection of our two nations deep, sincere and abiding. Be it floods in Pakistan or an earthquake in Turkiye, both countries are the first to respond with unprecedented support. In case of floods in Pakistan, support was not limited to the official assistance, spontaneous outpouring of sympathy, compassion and solidarity of people from all walks of life moved me greatly. I vividly remember the tears in the eyes of First Lady H.E Emine Erdogan, while speaking at a fundraiser for floods assistance in Pakistan. Last year, when earthquakes known as ‘disaster of the century’ hit Turkiye, Pakistani search and rescue teams were the first international teams to reach Adiyaman, one of the worst hit city by earthquake. All resources in Pakistan were immediately mobilized to the help of our Turkish brothers and the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself visited earthquake hit region to console the Turkish brothers. Our children like Yunus Hacet and Hamza Ali who don’t even hesitate to contribute their entire pocket money to flood affectees in Pakistan and earthquake in Turkiye , reflect the strength of eternal bonds of love and affection between the two countries.
Building on the strong foundation, both countries have successfully transformed their historical and unparalleled ties into a strong strategic relationship and share a common vision to utilize the untapped economic and trade potential that exists between the two countries. There may be thousands of miles between Ataturk Avenue in Islamabad and Cinnah Caddesi in Ankara, but our hearts are close, which make us ‘Tek Millet-iki devlet’, one nation living in two states. No doubt, Pakistan Turkiye friendship is a gift from Allah and truly a blessing for the people of both countries. Therefore, it is imperative that younger generations are apprised of the strong historical bonds and the importance of strategic partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye, so as they are able to protect and nourish this friendship as a sacred trust.
Long live Pakistan Turkiye Brotherhood
