PakTurk schools to be handed over to ‘new entity’

Following weeks of brainstorming over the fate of PakTurk Schools, Pakistan and Turkey are converging on a proposal to shift administrative control of the schools from the Gulen Foundation to another entity or organisation recommended by the Turkish government, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

PakTurk schools are being run by a foundation believed to be close to Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish religious scholar who has a huge following in Turkey. The Turkish government, however, has declared him a terrorist following the coup attempt by a section of Turkish Armed Forces.

But while Turkey calls Gulen’s organisations terrorists, the PakTurk management claims it has no religious or political links in Turkey. The organisation also runs a think tank – Rumi Foundation – which may also be handed over to new management.

The network of 28 schools and colleges in Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi, Hyderabad, Khairpur and Jamshoro employs 1,500 staff who teach around 10,000 students from pre-school to A levels.

An official source in the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) told this scribe that the department had been tasked by the government to furnish details about the PakTurk schools, their staff and related information.

“Informally, we have also been asked to discuss the issue internally and propose a way out including overhaul of the whole setup,” the official said and added that overhaul of the management was a possible way out, the ministry was working on.

Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Nafees Zakaria on Thursday also hinted at a similar strategy.

“We are in constant touch with the Turkish government, seeking a way out of the situation and a number of options are on the table. One of the available options is that Turkey might suggest some entity or organisations to take over the schools,” said Zakaria responding to a question asked during the weekly briefing.

He said both Turkish and Pakistani governments want to secure the interests of thousands of the students and employees of the schools.

“Turkey is a very close friend and both Pakistan and Turkey have enjoyed brotherly relations for a long time. We understand the concerns expressed by the Turkish government about the management of Pakistan-Turk Schools and we are exploring ways and means to address their concerns,” he added.

Another source privy to the development said that Turkey may soon name an organisation to run the PakTurk schools and that Pakistan will oblige.

Turkish Ambassador Sadik Babur Girgin says that after the attempted ‘Gulenist coup’ of July 15, Turkey has asked all friendly countries to take necessary measures against Fethullah Gulen’s terrorist organisation.

The envoy said Turkey and Pakistan have very close coordination and cooperation in all fields of their bilateral relations.

The ambassador told Pakistan Today that Turkey will always put the future of thousands of students of PakTurk schools at top priority.

“The students studying in these schools are my nephews and nieces. How can I put their future in jeopardy? We will resolve the matter by agreeing to a way out in the interest of all the students of these schools,” he said.