It was Friday night when something regrettable happened in a country, whose people have witnessed the same scenario five times since it was founded by Kemal Ataturk in 1923.
It was that time of a day, which is usually preferred by those interested using back doors, such as the army. State TV, airports and other important installations were claimed to be under control by them.
In other words, this was an attempt to take over the elected government through force and coercion due to the personal interests of a few.
The news channels were reporting on the uncertainty of the situation and nothing substantial was being claimed. Then, out of nowhere, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government was being toppled, appealed to its people through a video message on Facetime, to come out and save democracy.
It’s very important here to mention that Erdogan is the same ruler whose son is facing corruption allegations and the charge that he bought oil products worth billions of dollars from ISIS and sold weapons to them. His style of authoritarian rule is no secret.
This is a ruler who doesn’t have a good reputation internally or internationally. He is against Kamalism and he is the one who resumed war against Turkey’s own minority - the Kurds. However, his single appeal helped people come out from their homes to face the military and its tanks.
Those who came out were not in millions, but a few thousands and were enough to foil the coup attempt.
It turned out to be an eventful night in which the army lost and democracy triumphed.
A night the young generation of Turks will cherish for many years to come. Most importantly, they sent a clear message to the ambitious armed forces that such attempts by them will no longer be tolerated.
On the other hand in Pakistan, a self-proclaimed ‘popular leader’ and chief of the PTI, a struggling party in the political scenario of Pakistan, has given a controversial statement that people in Pakistan will distribute sweets if the army takes over.
Why is it that he always under-estimates the will of the people and their power in this country?
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2016.
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