Students rally behind Turkish teachers

IHC directs school admin to approach the Ministry of Interior for an extension in visas

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/LAHORE/PESHAWAR: Students of the schools and colleges under PakTurk Educational Foundation on Thursday staged protests in various cities of the country against the government’s decision to deport its Turkish teachers and their family members within three days.

During the demonstrations held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar, the students rallied in support of the Turkish teachers working at the chain of institutions. They chanted slogans calling for justice while academic activities remained suspended at their institutes.

Protesting students said that the teachers were being victimised. They said they supported their Turkish teachers as they had been helping the education sector of the country for several years. Politics should not be mixed up with education and the teachers should be allowed to stay, they demanded.



“They have put the future of 11,000 students at stake by sending their teachers in the middle of the session” said Haider Saeed, one of the students in Islamabad. “The students have to take final exams in February but it is unclear when the new teachers arrive and who they might be”.

“Thirty-five per cent children studying in these institutions are on scholarships” said Naila Qureshi, a concerned parent.  “My two children have been studying on scholarship. Don’t know if the new management continues with this policy or shift the financial burden on parents,” she added.

The Interior Ministry on Monday asked the Turkish teachers of the PakTurk schools to leave the country by November 20.  The ministry also declined to extend visas of 108 Turkish teachers and their families comprising 450 individuals.

The directives surfaced just before the arrival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Thursday said Turkey was in the process of warning all its allies against the ‘terrorist’ organisation led by US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.



The PakTurk schools operate a network of 28 schools and colleges in Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi, Hyderabad, Khairpur and Jamshoro. The chain has a staff of around 1,200 Pakistanis and 134 Turkish personnel, who teach around 10,000 students from pre-school to A-levels.

Initially, future of the chain of private schools had plunged into uncertainty after Turkey’s ambassador called on the Pakistan government to close down all the institutions inspired by Gulen.

Later on, during an official visit to Islamabad a few months ago, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also stressed that the chain of ‘Gulen-run’ schools in Pakistan should be shut down.

Ankara claims that Gulen, who is living in self-imposed exile in the United States, was the alleged mastermind of the July 15 failed military coup in Turkey. President Erdogan blamed the cleric’s followers for the rebellion and demanded his extradition, though Gulen has denied any involvement.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the officials of the PakTurk Educational Foundation to approach the Ministry of Interior for an extension in visas while observing that it is ministry’s prerogative to grant or dismiss the visa applications.

While disposing of the petition, the IHC judge Aamer Farooq asked the petitioners to submit applications before the ministry seeking extension observing that the people have been given less time and should be given ‘reasonable time’ to leave the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2016.