SC hears plea to designate Gulen network a terror outfit

SC seeks AGP’s reply on petition also asking to give control of Pak-Turk schools to Turkiye MAARIF

ISLAMABAD: The top court has sought a reply from the federal government on a plea to hand over management of the Pak-Turk schools to Turkiye MAARIF Foundation and to declare Turkey’s self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen’s network as a terror outfit.

Turkey calls Gulen-run organisation as the Fethullah’s Terrorist Organisation (Feto) which is also a parent organisation of the Pak-Turk Education Foundation that runs a number of schools in Pakistan.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar while hearing the case ordered to hand over a copy of the constitutional petition – filed by a lawyer Sohail Sajid – to the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) for written reply within a week. Hearing of the case will be resumed on December 13.

Interestingly, the CJP took up the matter before his visit to Turkey. On a special invitation extended by the president of Turkey’s Constitutional Court, the CJP will visit the friendly country on December 16.

He will also attend annual spiritual night Shab-e-Arus organised in Konya to commemorate Maulana Roomi, on December 17 on an invitation of the Turkish ambassador to Pakistan.

Two weeks ago, Sohail Sajid moved the application in the apex court seeking direction to refrain the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to register an organisation, which is presently running the Pak-Turk schools.

The petitioner asked the SC to direct the government to take over management of Turkish schools and subsequently hand over it to the Turkiye MAARIF Foundation in the best interest of brotherly Muslim state.  “The federal government having enough reasons at the local and international level may be directed to declare Feto as a proscribed organisation,” the petitioner said.

He said the existing management of Pak-Turk Education Foundation had applied to the SECP to change its name as ‘Golden Generation Education Foundation’ but the permission is not accorded yet.

“The organisation which is established with an understanding between two states, the current management cannot change its status or name to any other level without permission from respective states,” he said.

He said the Pak-Turk International Cag Education (PITICEF) was established in the 1990s. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the government of Pakistan through the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and the Pak-Turk International Cag Education Foundation (PITICEF) in 1999.

To disseminate the quality education at low cost to Pakistani people, some material resources were provided by the government of Pakistan including land for schools buildings at central locations in different cities. Twenty-eight (28) schools were established in 1999.

“In July 2016, the parent organisation (Cag Educational Corporation) of the Pak-Turk Education Foundation was found to be entity owned and directly controlled by an organisation involved in the military coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Turkey.

“The coup was foiled as a result of popular resistance against the plotters. Subsequent investigations established that the organisation involved in destabilizing activities in Turkey and in various other countries where schools were established and controlled by them. The Turkish declared them as Fetullah’s Terrorist Organization (Feto),” said the petition.

The petitioner contended that the Pak-Turk Education Foundation registered in the SECP to perpetuate its terrorist agenda financed by Feto.  “It is submitted that Feto has already been declared as a terrorist organisation but it has taken a cover and veil through the SECP which is in clear affront to Article 40 of the Constitution,” he added.