ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Thursday said that Pakistan and Turkey are inter-twined in eternal bonds of shared religion, history, culture, and common ancestry.
In his welcome address to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Speaker said,” as a matter of record, our people’s relations are even older than the creation of our two modern states, which date back even much prior to the ‘Khilaafat Movement’ of early twentieth century, when our forefathers rose in support of their Turkish brethren.
Both our societies have nurtured the values of tolerance and harmony, and followed the same path of peace, as taught by our great religion Islam and reflected in the poetry of Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Rumi and Allama Mohammad Iqbal, he said.
Ayaz Sadiq said it was the unique distinction of Majlis-e-Shoora, the Parliament that it will be benefitting from your wisdom and ideas, for the third time.
“Today, Mr. President! We, the Representatives of the people of Pakistan celebrate your presence amongst us for yet another historic reason: Your convincing and over-arching victory, in the recent past, particularly, for the cause of democracy and rule of law in Turkey by mobilizing the will of people has been rightly recognized world-wide as a ray of hope,” he said.
He said credit goes to your (Recep Tayyip) inspiring leadership that the heroic people of Turkey — especially the brave Speaker and the courageous Members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey — rose in one voice to protect and preserve their constitution and democracy.
While the people of Pakistan salute the courage and valour of the people of Turkey, Majlis-e-Shoora Parliament also joins me in paying our combined accolades to your exemplary devotion and dedication to your people and Motherland.
He said great leaders, Mustafa Kemal Ata-turk and Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah built the states of Turkey and Pakistan on principles of democracy, equality and rule of law.
“Our people have courageously faced the common challenge of terrorism and rendered innumerable sacrifices for regional and global peace,” he said.
Ayaz Sadiq said the brave armed forces of Turkey and Pakistan have inflicted fatal blow to global terrorist networks like DAAISH and launched historic operations like Zarb-e-Azb.
He said both nations have always strongly advocated the cause of marginalised and oppressed people world-wide — be it the Palestinians, the Turk Cypri-ots or the people of Occupied Kashmir.
He said your (President Recep) bold stance on Kashmir has won millions of hearts as it helped in shaking the international conscience about inhuman situation imposed by India in Occupied Kashmir.