Turkish president to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday

Erdogan is scheduled to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues with the premier

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive on a two-day visit in Pakistan on Wednesday, Radio Pakistan reported.

Erdogan is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of President Mamnoon Hussain. The two leaders are expected to cover topics ranging from bilateral relations to regional and international issues.

President Erdogan will be accompanied by other high-ranking officials and is also scheduled to address the joint session of Parliament.



Besides meeting the president, Erdogan will also hold talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A special event is also scheduled to take place in Lahore where President Erdogen will be the esteemed guest of honour.

On Sunday, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, whose lawmakers have been boycotting parliament’s proceedings, has announced that it will also not attend a joint parliamentary sitting scheduled to be addressed on November 17 by Turkish President.

He said his party had a clear stance on the Panamagate scandal and the ‘corruption of the prime minister’. “The PTI will request President Erdogan to take some time out of his busy schedule for a meeting with a delegation of the PTI outside Parliament House,” he added.

The PTI has also announced it will continue its boycott even after the Nov 17 joint sitting and will also not attend the National Assembly’s next session starting from Nov 18.



The Turkish president is not likely to mind the PTI’s absence from the joint session as he is facing a similar situation back home, where the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) is currently boycotting the Turkish parliament to protest the arrest of its members for their ‘alleged links’ with Kurdish rebels.

However, some PTI leaders have disapproved this decision of their leadership. A PTI leader, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, in his tweet said, “The PTI must attend the parliament’s joint session. Politics is always inclusive. Such actions will harm no one but the party’s image and system.”

This is the second time during the era of the incumbent regime that the PTI has resorted to boycotting the parliament. It first boycott, which lasted for over seven months, was held in the backdrop of its protest against alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections.