KARACHI, Jan 05 (APP): The Consul General of Turkiye in Karachi Cemal Sangu, on Thursday, said that the Turkish government in collaboration with Sindh Culture and antiquities department was working to restore the home place and tomb of Hassan Ali Effendi located in Hyderabad City.
The Turkish envoy, during the visit of Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) and a meeting with Vice Chancellor Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai, deans, and other officials, said that the founder of SMIU Hassan Ali Effendi had strong relations with Turkiye’s Ottoman rulers and he was given titles of “Bey” and “Effendi” by Sultan of Turkiye.
“Government of Turkiye feels proud of his services for the promotion of modern education in Sindh by establishing the great institute of Sindh Madressatul Islam,” the CG said.
Cemal Sangu announced one Ph.D. scholarship on poverty cum merit bases for a student of SMIU in Turkiye and said that the scholarship would be given to SMIU student every year due to the association of its founder Hassan Ali Effendi’s relationship with Turkiye.
Pakistan and Turkiye have very friendly relations and the Turkish government was trying further strengthen these brotherly relations, he said adding that they were working to bring the people of Sindh and other provinces of Pakistan close to the Turkish people for spreading love and harmony in the world.
He further said that the Turkish government had given 128 scholarships to Pakistan’s students for undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs, last year and Pakistani students must be encouraged to avail these opportunities.
Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai lauded the offer of the Turkish Consul General and said that SMIU would open a Rumi Chair in SMIU and Turkish Corner, where information about Turkiye’s history, literature, culture, and education will be available for SMIU’s students.
SMIU would also encourage research on the relations of Hassan Ali Effendi with the Ottoman Empire, he said.
TIKA Karachi Program Coordinator Khalil Ibrahim Basaran briefed about projects of TIKA in Sindh and informed that arrangements for Turkish language classes were also being made.
Documentaries on SMIU and TIKA were also screened on the occasion while Dr. Mujeeb Sahrai presented shields and Ajrak to the guests. They also presented a souvenir to the Vice Chancellor.
Later on, Turkish CG visited the Jinnah museum along with the Vice Chancellor of SMIU and other officials, where he showed keen interest in the relics of the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Hassan Ali Effendi, and other alumni of SMIU.
He also offered that they will translate the certificate which had been given to Hassan Ali Effendi by the Turkish government and which is written in the Turkish language.