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ISLAMABAD, Dec 26 (APP):Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar said on Thursday that Pakistan-Turkiye friendship defied borders and people of the two countries had centuries-old bonds which were getting stronger and stronger with the passage of time.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Yunus Emre Institute, Turkish Culture Center at Allama Iqbal Open University, he said Pakistan, Turkiye friendship had its roots in history even before the creation of Pakistan.
Referring to the Khilafat movement in early 20th century, he said family elders used to tell touching stories about how the Muslims of the subcontinent donated for their brothers in Turkey.
He said Pakistanis visiting Turkiye, on return testify that the respect, warmth and affection they received there was second to none. Expressing his gratitude to the leadership, government and people of Turkiye, he said hearts of both people beat in unison.
He said Yunus Emre was a great Sufi poet and scholar whose writings were still as relevant as they were in his times.
Paying tributes to Dr Halil Toker, Director Yunus Emre Institute, Pakistan, the minister said that he had made a great contribution to promoting Turkish culture in Pakistan.
Tarar said during his recent visit to Turkiye, he met the Head of Presidential Communications Dr Fahrettin Altun and it was agreed to enhance cooperation in the realm of art and culture. He said that Turkish television plays have been telecast in Pakistan and they were very popular here. He said he proposed that classic PTV dramas should be dubbed and telecast in Turkiye.
He said Pakistan and Turkiye had many things in common which reflected in language, culture and religion. ” We are so close in a culture that bonds us together through culture, history, and religion that is why this is an unbreakable bond”.
He said only a few people would know that besides in Lahore, one symbolic grave Allama Iqbal was built in the mausoleum of Maulana Rmi in Konya, Turkiye to show how philosophically both scholars were related.
He expressed the hope that with the establishment of Yunus Emre Institute, here cultural exchanges and people-to-people relations between the two countries would further grow and it would also help in better understanding of the Turkish nation, close to Pakistanis hearts. He said there was a need to hold seminars literary conferences and think tank meetings on how to further promote bilateral relations.
He said that there was a lot of scope to promote bilateral tourism. He said that both countries could also join hands to promote the teachings of Allama Iqbal and Yunus Emre and visits of poets and writers could be arranged.
He maintained that Pakistan’s friendship with Turkiye had stood the test of time and it was an everlasting bond. He assured that as Minister for Information and Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture, he would work for the promotion of cultural exchanges between the two countries.
He said both Pakistan and Turkiye could work jointly for the promotion of peace, tolerance and harmony among the people of the world.