Supreme Court of Pakistani on Friday instructed the Interior Ministry to designate the Gulenist Terror Group (FETO) as a terrorist organization.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the government to ban FETÖ-linked Pak-Turk International Cag Education Foundation (PTICEF) that runs schools in the country as a “proscribed organization”, and hand over its schools to Turkey’s Maarif Foundation.
The court also ordered the concerned authorities to immediately hand over all movable and immovable assets, schools, colleges, education centers and other similar entities owned by the organization to the Maarif Foundation.
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 to take over the administration of overseas schools linked to FETÖ. The foundation also establishes schools and education centers abroad.
The three member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Ijazul Ahsan issued the verdict.
On Dec. 13, a local lawyer Sohail Sajid had filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court and requested to declare the group as a “terror outfit” in the country.
