President of Pakistan telephone to President of Turkey over shooting down of Turkish Air Force aircraft by Syria

ANKARA, 27 June 2012: In a telephonic call last night to President Abdullah Gul, President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari expressed his support and solidarity in the wake of shooting down of a Turkish Air Force reconnaissance aircraft by Syria.

President of Pakistan conveyed similar sentiments to Mr. Burhan Kayaturk, President of Pakistan-Turkish Friendship Group in the Turkish Parliament and other parliamentarians and senior representatives of the Turkish Government who received him at the Ankara Airport during his brief stopover this morning.

ENDS

Pakistan is an extremely cinematic country: “Noor” directors Çağla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti

After its World Premiere at ACID, a parallel independent section at Cannes Film Festival this year; Pakistani film “Noor” directed by Çağla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti of Turkish origin will compete at the upcoming 47^th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The directors of the film tell us about their project and the inspiration they found in Pakistan:

What inspired you to make your debut feature in Pakistan?

We visited Pakistan for the first time in 2002, 10 years ago. With our Turkish background, we were expecting to find some similarities between the two cultures, but we also observed many surprising new aspects. Above all we discovered an extremely cinematic country. In particular, we were amazed by the stories that local people would tell us. We straight shot our first short documentary there! After this experience, we’ve been coming back almost each year in Pakistan, spending months immersed in the culture. At the beginning it was mainly to enjoy with our friends, but after some time, as the country is an endless source of inspiration, it became natural that we would develop a big project there. In 2005, we launched our feature film project.

How did the story idea originate?

There is this anecdote that happened in a Religious Festival where millions of people from Pakistan and India gather every year for the anniversary of the death of a Saint: the co-director Guillaume Giovanetti, who has weak facial hair, was approached by a young beardless uneducated man in a crowded narrow street. This man turned out to be genuinely surprised that Guillaume could have a wife in his country in spite of his “handicap”. Then he just vanished in that street, and we totally forgot about him. It’s only months later that his question came back to our minds: “In your country… No beard, no problem?”At that moment we decided that our film would raise questions about masculinity in that region: further than accepting one’s physical appearance or fitting some social codes, what does “To be a man” mean?

Then, since we were directing short films in parallel, our way of filmmaking gradually focused on non-professional actors playing their own life in a story we write for them. Therefore, for our Pakistani project, we have been looking for real characters to play in the movie we were developing. This research took us several months. After having met several choices in various areas of the country, we eventually came to bump into Noor by chance, in a street of Lahore, Punjab.

Despite the fact that it was the first time in his life he had met some foreigners, he turned out to be very open and on that same day he told us his own story, the one of a previous Khusra who wanted to be a man again. His storytelling and his behaviour were also the proofs of an extremely smart personality who can carry a feature film project on his shoulders. This encounter was decisive, and at the end of the 5 hours we spent listening to him in his tiny room, we knew he was our main character. Then we had to adapt our movie to his story.

Were you familiar with the Khusras? What kind of research went into developing the film project?

During the years we spent in Pakistan, we of course got acquainted a lot with the Khusras, as they’re part of the daily life, especially in Punjab and in Karachi: you come to see them in the streets, during weddings and celebrations for the newly born. We remember several times when, during evenings we would spend with some musician friends, we would share some time discussing with some Khusras. Still, their community, like the Hijras in India, had been portrayed many times in movies, so at that time they were not our primary goal as the subject of the film. Somehow this detachment was a good thing, as we could see their community with a distance, as a part of the local landscape.

Then, when we came to meet Noor, we of course – as we always do with our non-professional actors – spent a lot of time with him, in order to understand him in deep. This stage was necessary so for us to be able to direct him the best way during the shoot and to render his story accurately in our film. In that period we also spent long time with some Khusras Noor introduced us. We stayed in their houses, followed some of them during events and we took part into their private gatherings. They are a very warm and welcoming community, and as we got close to them, some even accepted to play in the movie. It was a great experience. And we must say that we were impressed by their acting skills!

How did you secure funding for the film?

As you can guess, it was very hard. Being non Pakistani-born directors was the main obstacle for us to match the international funding requirements. When it was about development money, the project was very successful, but then, when it came to production money, no fund would follow us because in their minds, as we didn’t have Pakistani Citizenship, we would not be able to make a good film about Pakistan. No matter how many years we would spend there, no matter how familiar we were with the culture, the rules were too rigid. Furthermore, in Pakistan, the situation of Independent Cinema was in a bad shape, and most of the time the Pakistani Directors had to count only on themselves to achieve their movies.

Çağla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti

After many years without giving up, we were lucky enough to be supported by several production companies in France and in Pakistan, who took the risk of helping us, financially and logistically. We also used our own structure in Turkey, and thanks to this gathering of motivated and courageous people, we could finally launch the production in Pakistan.

What kind of experience you had while shooting in Pakistan? Any challenges you faced?

We had built our golden team over the years, made of Pakistani people working in the field of independent documentary, filmmaking and producing and of 3 French technicians. This – light – crew (around 12 people) really all committed themselves to the shooting. It was of course very hard as the budget was very limited and as we shot in many locations, from hot plains to highlands throughout the country, but the whole crew gave all their energy to achieve the best result. We were also very much helped by locals during the shoot: indeed most of the people we shot in the various regions of Pakistan were old friends acting for us, and their families and friends came willingly into the game trying to fulfil our demands. We also didn’t have any problems with the authorities. We of course had all our shooting permissions, which we had to show once or twice to the local police coming to the set. But they mostly came out of curiosity, and the only difficulty we had was eventually to say no to some policemen, as they also wanted to have a part in the movie!

On the other hand, any kind of shooting in any country in the world needs quite a deep knowledge of the local culture. In some areas of Pakistan, for example in some parts of the Karakoram Highway, we definitely knew that a shooting crew including foreigners and a previous Khusra may cause inconvenience, so we basically shot only landscape scenes in those areas, again with the cooperation of the local people.

Still, the most challenging parts of the shooting didn’t come from the people, but more from the environment: our poor sound engineer was bound to find solutions for his microphones breaking down everyday because of the extreme heat, some members of the crew were suffering from altitude sickness in the Himalayas. The worst situation was due to a dam that was created 10 days before the shoot in the Hunza Valley because of a landslide. This dam modified the local climate: it went down to minus 10 at night in early June, we had rain and snow where the crew was trying to sleep in tents. Coming from the 40 degrees of Punjab, that was challenging! Furthermore, still because of that dam, we could not access a whole zone where we had casted people and scouted locations. We had to change the whole sequences at the last moment, finding new places and new people to shoot in no time. But actually, we like the unexpected in our shootings, so these last minute changes brought some fresh breath into the film!

Tell us about your professional background. 

We started filmmaking together, being co-authors and co-directors, and in parallel of the development of “Noor”, we shot 7 shorts and documentaries in several countries (Turkey, France, Iran, Germany, Italy, Japan) which were screened and awarded in more than 100 Festivals (Berlinale, Locarno, Rotterdam, etc.), all of them with non-professional actors. Among those films, “Ata” deals with the meeting of an Uyghur and a Turkish in France, and “Six”, which we shot in Japan, is a portray of several people in Tokyo.

We’re now very happy that “Noor”, after the Premiere in Cannes 2012 in the ACID section, is shown in Karlovy Vary, and we really hope this will help the film to be shown as much as possible, especially in Pakistan and India.
source: Dear Cinema  http://dearcinema.com/interview/pakistan-extremely-cinematic-country-cagla-zencirci-guillaume-giovanetti-directors-noor/1216#.T-mXxxcWJll

'Keşmir'de, zulüm de mücadele de devam ediyor'

Bizi kurtarmak Müslümanların görevidir” diyen Azad Keşmir Cemaati İslami Başkanı Abdülreşid Turabi; Arkadaşımı Demir Sandalyede Erite Erite Şehid Ettiler”...

Tıpkı Filistin gibi aynı kaderi paylaşan Keşmir’de; Müslümanlar, 64 yıldır Hint işgali altında akla gelebilecek her türlü işkence ve katliamlara maruz kalıyor. Doğruhaber’e konuşan Özgür Keşmir Cemaati İslami Başkanı Abdülreşid Turabi, Müslümanlara yapılan baskıları ve faaliyetleri anlattı. Yaşananların vahametinin anlaşılması için bir anısını anlatan Turabi, “arkadaşımı altında ateş olan demir bir sandalyeye oturtup erite erite şehid ettiler” diye konuştu.

1947`den beri Hind işgali altında bulunan Keşmir’de 64 yılda yaklaşık 500 bin insan katledildi. Çatışmaların başladığı 1989 yılından bu yana ise yaklaşık 100 bin kişi hayatını kaybetti, on binden fazla insan da hala kayıp. 2 milyon insanın göç etmek zorunda kaldığı Keşmir’de 2011 yılında açılan bir toplu mezarda 3 bin ceset ortaya çıktı. Sistematik işkencelerin sıradanlaştığı ülkede Müslüman halk özgürlük ve bağımsızlık mücadelesi veriyor.

Bir dizi etkinliğe katılım için İstanbul’da bulunan Azad Keşmir Cemaati İslami Başkanı Abdülreşid Turabi ile yaptığımız görüşmede “Eskiden Keşmir denilince şu an Gazze’den nasıl bahsediliyorsa Keşmir de o derece konuşuluyordu. Ama son yıllarda Keşmir konuşulmaz oldu. Bu yüzden Keşmir’de yaşanan zulümleri anlatmak için Türkiye’ye gelme ihtiyacı hissettik” diye konuştu. İşte Azad Keşmir Cemaati İslami Başkanı Abdülreşid Turabi’nin sorularımıza verdiği cevaplar;

DAVET, TEŞKİLATLANMA, EĞİTİM VE YARDIM ÇALIŞMALARIMIZ SÜRÜYOR
Cemaati İslami’nin Keşmir’deki yapısı, faaliyetleri ve gücü nedir? Genel hatlarıyla özetleyebilir misiniz?

Elhamdulillah, Cemaati İslami, Keşmir’in hem özgür olan bölgesinde, hem de işgal altındaki bölgesinde var ve çalışmalarımızı sürdürüyoruz. Keşmir’de Cemaati İslami dışında da birçok İslami örgütlenmeler ve cemaatler vardır. Ama her iki tarafta bulunan ve çalışmalarını ciddi bir şekilde sürdüren Cemaati İslami’dir. Eğitim faaliyetlerimiz, davet çalışmalarımızın yanı sıra dini birçok konuda çalışmalarımız mevcuttur. Mesela eğitim alanında Cemaati İslami’nin okullarında talebe sayısı 100 bin civarındadır. Aynı zamanda STK ayağında yardım kuruluşu olarak da çalışmalarımız devam ediyor. İşgal altındaki Keşmir bölgesindeki Cemaati İslami lideri ise Seyid Ali Geylani’dir. Burada da işgal altındaki tüm bölgelerde çok ciddi derecede İslami çalışmalarımız her alanda devam ediyor. Aynı şekilde Azad Keşmir bölgesinde de hem davet, hem teşkilatlanma, hem eğitim ve hem de yardım kuruluşları ayağında çalışmalar devam ediyor.

350 OKULUMUZDA 100 BİN ÖĞRENCİ OKUTUYORUZ

Azad Keşmir bölgesinde 350 civarındaki okullarımızda 100 bine yakın öğrenci okuyor. Bu öğrencileri ilköğretimden liseye kadar okutuyoruz. Aynı zamanda gençlik kollarını kurduk. Bununla okul okumayan iş hayatında olan genç nesli ıslah etmeye yönelik çalışmalarda bulunuyoruz. 1990’dan buyana işgal altındaki Keşmir’den Azad Keşmir’e göç edip de kaçmak durumunda kalan yaklaşık 50 bin civarında insanı kamplarımızda ağırlıyoruz. Bu 50 bin insan uzun bir zamandır kamplarımızda yaşıyor. Bu insanların çocuklarının eğitim ve sağlık ihtiyaçları, yardımlaşma ve gençleri yetiştirme faaliyetleri aksatılmadan yapılıyor. Yardım çalışmalarını, el Hizmetu ve Mescid Derneği adı altında yürütüyoruz.

DİĞER İSLAMİ CAMİALARLA ORTAK HAREKET EDİYORUZ
Keşmir’deki diğer İslami camialarla ilişkileriniz var mı, varsa nasıl?

Keşmir’de bütün İslami cemaatlerle ilişkilerimiz vardır. Ne zaman konu Keşmir’in mücadelesi veya bağımsızlığı olursa diğer İslami camialar bizi çağırıyor aynı şekilde biz de bu tür meselelerde onları çağırıyoruz ve ortak birçok kararı beraber alıyoruz.

DÜŞÜNEBİLDİĞİNİZ HER TÜRLÜ BASKI MEVCUT

İşgal altındaki bölgede Müslümanlara yönelik ne tür baskılar var?

Öncelikle şunu söylemeliyim ki düşünebildiğiniz her türlü baskı mevcuttur. Mesela istenildiği gibi gösteri yapılamıyor. Yapılan gösteriler izinsiz yapılıyor. Hele halkın toplanacağı mitinglere ise hiç mi hiç izin yok. Eğer halk toplanıyorsa ölümü göze alıyor demektir. Bunun dışında zaman zaman ibadet kısıtlamaları var. Mesela geçen Cuma bizim tüm partilerin lideri kabul ettiği Seyyid Ali Geylani Cuma namazına bırakılmadı. İşgal altındaki topraklarda Hindistan’ın 700 bin askeri mevcuttur. Yani neredeyse Türkiye’nin toplam askeri gücü gibi bir şey. Düşünün küçük bir bölge 10-12 milyon gibi bir nüfus üzerinde neredeyse her 10-15 kişi başına bir asker düşüyor.

Öyle ki sokağın bir ucunda askeri bir nokta varsa sokağın diğer ucunda da askeri noktayla karşılaşırsınız. Yani bu kadar yoğun silahlı güç arasında insan her türlü psikolojik baskıyı hissediyor. İlla da mücadele eden bir Müslüman değil, normal işine giden vatandaş da kendini baskı altında hissediyor. Mesela silahlı güçlere verilen yetki o kadar fazla ki dünyanın hiçbir yerinde yoktur. Örneğin asker herhangi bir evden şüpheleniyorsa o asker o eve istediği saatte baskın yapabilir. Mahkeme veya savcılıktan herhangi bir izin almasına gerek yoktur. Asker istediği kişiyi alıp götürebilir ve bir seneye kadar mahkemeye çıkarmadan hapiste tutabilir. İstediği kişiyi sokaktan da alabilir.

Hatta istediği kişiyi vurma yetkisi bile var. Tüm bunlarla beraber hiçbir medya, hiçbir STK ve hiçbir insani kuruluş o bölgeye giremez. Bu durum, Türkiye’deki basın ve medyaya da bir duyuru olsun. Dünyanın belki de tek bölgesidir ki şu an işgal altındaki bazı bölgelerde uluslararası telefon edemezsiniz, izin almak zorundasınız. Gençler facebook gibi sosyal medyayı ‘Arap Baharı’nda olduğu gibi aynı amaç doğrultusunda kullandı diye 13-15 yaşlarındaki gençler hapisteler. Bu anlattıklarımız karşısında nasıl bir baskı olduğu anlaşılıyor sanırım.

ARKADAŞIMI ALTINDA ATEŞ OLAN DEMİR SANDALYEYE OTURTUP ERİTEREK ŞEHİD ETTİLER

Keşmir’de yakından tanık olduğunuz zulüm ve katliamlara dair anılarınız var mı?

Keşmir’de ne kadar zulüm varsa ne kadar katliam varsa hepsi bizim kardeşlerimizdir. Çok yakın bir arkadaşımın hikâyesini anlatayım. Beraber uzun yıllar mücadele verdiğimiz lider bir kişilik Prof. Nezir Bey, Hindistan askeri güçlerinin eline geçti. Onu önce işkence yaptılar ve mücahitler nerede, onları saklıyorsun veya silahları nerede diye. Tabi ondan bir netice alamayınca ona uyguladıkları ceza şöyle olmuş; onu demir bir sandalyeye bağladılar ve altında ateş yaktılar. Ve arkadaşımın eti eriye eriye şehid oldu. Öte yandan hapishanedeki insanlara zehirli iğne yapmaları, zehirli bozuk gıdalar yedirerek yavaş yavaş kişinin ölmesini sağlanması. Hatta 5-10-15 yıl içerde işkence ve zulümlere maruz kaldıktan sonra dışarıya bedenen ve akli dengesi bozulmuş şekilde çıkan binlerce engelli insan var. Öyle tanıdığımız yakınlarımız var ki yüzlerine ütü yapıştırılarak şehid edildiler.

KEŞMİR DE 64 YILDIR FİLİSTİN GİBİ İŞGAL ALTINDA 

Keşmir, Filistin’de olduğu gibi 64 yıldır işgal altında olmakla birlikte bu iki İslam beldesinin birçok benzer yanları var. Hindistan’ı da bu anlamda Keşmir’e yaptıkları karşısında bir israil gibi görebiliriz diye sanıyorum. Siz nasıl değerlendiriyorsunuz?


İkisini de aynı sayabiliriz. Zaten Hindistan ve israil sıkı bir işbirliği içindeler, ortak bir strateji yürütüyorlar. 1990’dan bu yana 22 senedir Keşmir’de, Hindistan’da israil’in komandoları mevcut. Biz Keşmirlileri nasıl kontrol altında tutacaklarına dair israil’in fikir babaları mevcut. israil’in istihbaratı mevcut. Aynı şekilde de Gazzelileri baskı altında tutmak için Hindistanlı istihbarat ve askeri teşkilatlar israil’in içinde mevcut. Yani her yerde beraberler. İsrail’le ilgili Keşmir olsun, Pakistan olsun şöyle bilinç var; israil’li demek, küfür etmekle aynı anlamı taşıyor. O kadar da ciddi derecede bir tepki var. Ama Hindistan’a karşı İslam dünyasından böyle bir tepki yok. Mesela körfez ülkelerinde, Müslüman ülkelerde şu an dört milyon Hindistan işçisi var ve çalışıyor. Bu, Hindistan için çok ciddi bir gelir kaynağı. Hindistan’ın ticaret hacminin yüzde yetmiş civarındaki bölümü Müslüman ülkelerle. Onun için Keşmirliler ve Pakistanlılar Araplara şöyle diyor; biz nasıl Gazze için hassas isek, Körfez Ülkeleri ve dünya Müslümanları da Hindistan’a böyle bakmalı. Ancak bu bakışla hareket edilirse Keşmir’le ilgili bir şeyler yapabiliriz.




KEŞMİR’DE ZULÜM DE MÜCADELE DE DEVAM EDİYOR

Yaklaşık 20 sene önce Keşmir meselesi Türkiye’de çok konuşuluyordu. Türkiye’de Müslümanlar Keşmir’e cihada gidiyordu, şehidler geliyordu. Fakat son on yıldır Keşmir hiç gündemde yok. Acaba bunun sebebi ne? Türkiyeli Müslümanlar mı Keşmir’i unuttu, yoksa Keşmir’de cihad mı bitti? 

Zaten bu yüzden buradayız. Keşmir’de mücadele bitmiş değil, aynen devam ediyor. Zulüm de bitmiş değil, hatta artarak devam ediyor. Fakat nedense dünyada bilhassa Türkiye’de bu ses kesilmiştir. Tekrar hatırlatmak anlamında ‘ne oldu niye unutulduk’ demek için buradayız. Dünya Müslümanlarının yanı sıra özellikle Türkiye’den beklentilerimiz yüksek. Çünkü Türkiye’nin sesi eskisine göre daha gür çıkıyor. Dünya meselelerine el atıyor. Keşmir de İslam ümmetinin çok önemli bir meselesidir. Türkiye’den beklentimiz, bu konuda da üstüne düşen görevi yerine getirmesidir.



KEŞMİR’İN NAMUSU, ŞEREFİ, HAYSİYETİ AYAKLAR ALTINDADIR
Son olarak dünya Müslümanlarına ve tüm insanlığa yönelik talep, çağrı ve mesajınız nedir? 

Müslümanların görevidir; çünkü Keşmirliler de bu ümmetin bir parçasıdır. O parça da özgür olmak istiyor. Baskı ve zulümlerden kurtulmak istiyor. Bizi kurtarmak Müslümanların görevidir. Keşmir; halkı Müslüman bir İslam beldesidir. Küfrün baskısı altındadır. Kâfir şu an orada zulüm etmektedir. İşgal altındaki Keşmir’in namusu, şerefi, haysiyeti ayaklar altındadır. Müslüman ümmette bunun örnekleri çok; mesela Haccac zamanında Hindistan yöresinde namusu söz konusu olan bir kadının feryadı Haccac’a ulaştırıldı. O da Muhammed İbni Kasım komutanlığında bir ordu gönderdi. Ve oranın en büyük radasını yenerek Hindistan’a hem İslam için kapı açmış oldu ve oradaki zulme son vermiş oldu. Bu aslında şer’i dini bir konudur. Bir yerde Müslüman nüfusa bir zulüm varsa ve Müslüman’ın şerefi, haysiyeti, namusu mahfuz değilse, diğer yöredeki Müslümanlar üzerine orayı kurtarmak farz olmuş olur. Ve onun için bütün Müslümanlara sesleniyoruz ki; ayağa kalksınlar, şu an var olan açık bir yolla Keşmir’deki baskıya zulme son vermeliler ve kendi kendini yönetme hakkımızı bize sağlamalılar.

KEŞMİR; PAKİSTAN VE HİNDİSTAN ARASINDA İDEOLOJİK BİR SAVAŞA DÖNÜŞEBİLİR

Eğer bugün İslam İşbirliği Teşkilatına üye Müslüman ülkeler Hindistan’a ‘Keşmirlilerin hakkını vermezsen ticari ilişkileri kesiyoruz’ deseler, inanın bir hafta geçmeden Keşmirliler haklarına kavuşur. Eğer Müslümanlar öncelikle bir araya gelerek seslerini yükseltseler inanın ki dünyanın diğer milletleri de bu sese katılacak. Çünkü bu bir insanlık dramıdır. Onun için biz Müslümanlar sessiz kaldığımız için diğer insanlar da ses çıkarmıyor. Keşmir konusunda Pakistan ve Hindistan arasında üç kere savaş oldu ama aynen duruyor. Her ikisi de nükleer güce sahip. Ve bu durum ideolojik bir savaşa doğru da gidebilir. Dolayısıyla bu durum bütün dünyayı ilgilendiren bir konudur. Allah muhafaza durum o yöne gelmeden çözüme kavuşturulması lazım.

STK’LAR VE BİLHASSA BAŞBAKAN ERDOĞAN SESİMİZİ DUYSUN

Burada Türkiye’nin rolünü düşünüyor ve devreye girmesini istiyoruz. Bilhassa Başbakan Erdoğan’ın sesinin Filistin ve Gazze için nasıl çıkıyorsa, umarız ki Keşmir için de çıkar, ilgilenir. Çünkü Türkiye eskisi gibi değil, artık dünya meselelerine el atan bir ülkedir. Tabi sadece hükümetten değil STK’lardan da yardım bekliyoruz ve beklentimiz büyük.

Courtesy: Time Turk  http://www.timeturk.com/tr/2012/06/11/kesmir-de-zulum-de-mucadele-de-devam-ediyor.html

Foreign Minister of Pakistan meeting with Foreign Minister of Indonesia at Istanbul

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan Ms Hina Rabbani Khar meeting with Foreign Minister of Indonesia Dr. R.M. Marty Natalegawa on the sidelines of Ministerial meeting of Global Counter Terrorism Forum held on 7-8 June 2012 at Istanbul, Turkey.

Ministeria​l Meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) on 7 June 2012

ISTANBUL, 7 June 2012: Foreign Minister of Pakistan H.E. Ms Hina Rabbani Khar headed Pakistan delegation to the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) held here today. In her statement, she said Pakistan alongwith its partners is working to tackle the issue of global terrorism. The reall challenge is to win the hearts and minds of people to address the issue in a comprehensive way. The democratic government of Pakistan is working hard to strengthen the criminal justice system. Following is the complete text of her speech"
Foreign Minister Davutoglu,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
Fellow Foreign Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen 
Let me first thank both the co-Chairs for convening the GCTF meeting in this most wonderful city of cities, and for their very pertinent opening remarks.  I would also like to thank the Government and brotherly people of Turkey for making excellent arrangements for the meeting and the warm welcome and hospitality extended to us.
Since the launching of the Forum in New York last September, GCTF’s activities have covered considerable ground in both regional and thematic working groups. The member countries have shared information on good practices in thematic areas like criminal justice and rule of law as well as for the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders of violent extremism. The Rabat Memorandum on Good Practices for Effective Counter-terrorism Practice in Criminal Justice Sector, and the Rome Good Practices for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders, are two important steps in our efforts to effectively counter violent extremism and terrorism.
Co-Chairs,
As one of the most affected country by terrorism, Pakistan is making every possible effort to root out this scourge from our society. We are working with our partners for strengthening the criminal justice system, especially the investigation and prosecution sides. We have instituted programmes for capacity building of investigators and prosecutors; securing crime scene, collecting evidence, upgrading forensic laboratories; improving prison management system and expanding de-radicalization programmes. We are also working on how intelligence inputs could be converted into evidence which can withstand judicial scrutiny.
Co-Chairs,
We believe that in the struggle against violent extremism and terrorism, the real battle is for winning the hearts and minds of the affected people, particularly the youth who are more susceptible to distorted ideologies. We also need to address conditions that engender feelings of helplessness and deprivation among the people. Indeed it is imperative to give a message of hope to misguided individuals to win them back into the national mainstreams. This would need developing of an effective counter narrative.
To this end, we are evolving a robust narrative to counter the misleading agenda of violent extremists. We believe that education for all and creating economic opportunities for young people are most effective antidotes against spread of extremist ideologies. Accordingly, after the Swat operation, we launched a de-radicalization project known as “Sabaoon.”  The success of this project gives us the confidence to launch more such projects. We, therefore, have started developing a database of people who underwent military training during the Afghan jihad and later, with a view to imparting vocational training in various trades to enable them to re-integrate into the society as productive members. Already, more than 250 individuals have completed training and another 48 are still in the vocational training institutes. Perhaps, the most important aspect of this de-radicalization project is to ensure sustainable employability of reformed individuals.    
In this backdrop, we warmly welcome the gesture from the Government of the United Arab Emirates to establish the Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in Abu Dhabi. We look forward to its formal launching in October this year. Pakistan would be happy to extend all possible assistance to make the centre a real success. 
Co-Chairs,

Our emphasis on rule of law and strengthening criminal justice system flows from the belief that fair prosecution and conviction of terrorists in the court of law would be more effective than eliminating them through innovative means as it has the potential to sow seeds of further extremism.
The sense of ownership that a democratic dispensation offers should be strengthened to help neutralize the violent narrative of extremists and terrorists. On its part, the democratic government in Pakistan would continue to closely work with the international community to create a world free from bigotry, extremism and terrorism.

I thank you all.
ENDS

Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage & Integration visits Turkey

ANKARA, 1 June 2012: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Heritage & Integration Mrs. Samina Khalid Khurki is leading Pakistani delegations to the Conference of UN Alliance of Civilization Partners Forum being held in Istanbul from 31 May to 1 June 2012. She is also representing Pakistan in the second Conference on Somalia held in Istanbul.

The Minister alongwith Ms Rahela Shahadat Baloch, Minister of State for Science & Technology visited Konya on Thursday evening. Governor Konya H.E. Mr. Aydın Nezih Doğan received both the dignitaries.

To pay homage to the great philosopher and sufi saint of the Muslim world, the dignitaries visited the Mausoleum of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi.

Mrs. Samina Khalid Ghurki while meeting with the Governor Konya said the sufi philosophy of Maulana Rumi has enormous influence on the poetry of Pakistan’s national poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal. She stressed on the need for more people to people contact between the two brotherly countries. She said Pakistan can greatly benefit from the Turkish experience in the field of preservation of cultural heritage. 

Pakistan will always be relevant

The leaders of 28 countries put their heads together to think of a way out of the Afghan quandary at a recently held NATO summit in Chicago. The reality is the international community stands exhausted by more than a decade of war in Afghanistan.

With casualties on both sides and thousands of innocent Afghans killed, the war doesn't seem to be reaching any conclusive end. The half-hearted efforts by the international community have left Afghanistan in complete disarray. Afghans are wary of this war and the miseries it has brought upon them. With an inefficient and corrupt Afghan government, poor governance, a dismal security situation and a poor economy, the success of any quick fixes seems improbable.

The security equation is complicated by the heightened power of the warlords in Afghanistan. The warlords, in collusion with the government and sometimes being directly part of the government, continue to tyrannize people. If not for these warlords and their rampage, the Taliban would have been totally powerless. Back in the 1990s when the Taliban took over Kabul and much of Afghanistan, its success had more to do with the disenchantment of common Afghans with the warlords and less with the Taliban's God-forsaken ideology. Now it is déjà vu all over again. The ruthlessness of warlords has put the Afghans into the hands of the Taliban and strengthened them.

The incidents of the killing of NATO troops by their Afghan compatriots have increased recently, making things more complicated. This reflects the lack of trust Afghans feel towards the foreign forces. Professor Azmat Hayat Khan, former vice chancellor of Peshawar University in Pakistan and an expert on Afghanistan and Central Asia, singles out distrust as the most important factor in the current situation. He believes that distrust and misunderstandings debar any meaningful development in Afghanistan. The distrust factor does not remain limited to what Afghans feel toward foreign forces, it perpetuates ad infinitum -- between the Afghan people and the Afghan government, between the ethnic groups within Afghanistan and between regional countries and the United States/NATO. Dr. Hayat's insights were based on a field study he conducted.

Part of the Afghan debacle is also the absence of a regional approach. The immediate neighbors of Afghanistan have much at stake lest the instability in Afghanistan cross over into their countries. The continued presence of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran is burdensome and the arrival of more once NATO withdraws and chaos engulfs Afghanistan continues to worry them.

No outside country is affected more by the conflict in Afghanistan than Pakistan. Pakistan was invited at the last minute to the NATO summit. Partly explaining this last-minute invitation was speculation going around that Pakistan might be kept out of any Afghan solution. The international community is at the risk of making a grave mistake. Pakistan is part of the solution. The ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan run deep.

Notwithstanding the geographical proximity and the demographic commonality, the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan are knotted together in a solid bond of affiliation. Afghans call Pakistan their second home. After the Afghan-Soviet war, 3 million Afghans took refuge in Pakistan. Over three long decades, a whole generation of Afghans were born, raised and educated in Pakistan. There was no restriction on the movement of Afghan people within Pakistan, neither in business nor in education. Many of these Afghans have been assimilated into Pakistani society.

Dr. Hayat says the largest number of foreign professionals and educated people in Afghanistan comes from Pakistan. Currently, thousands of Afghan refugees are studying in Pakistan's universities. Two million Afghans continue to live in Pakistan. Many Afghans have moved back to their homeland but have left their families behind in Pakistan. This is Pakistan's biggest investment in Afghanistan and this has not come without a price. It was not easy playing host to millions of Afghans: At one time there were more than 5 million Afghans living in Pakistan. If the international community thinks it is easy to cut the umbilical cord of millions of Afghans, it is sadly mistaken.

A Western-tailored approach has not worked and will not do so in the future. There is a need to understand the working of Afghan society and find an Afghan-oriented solution. Afghan society is a tribal society and the rule of any one tribe or ethnicity will not be acceptable to the rest, highlighting the need for a broad-based government there. The regional perspective that has largely been ignored must be pursued. Many ethnic communities in Afghanistan extend beyond Afghan borders into the neighboring countries. These cultural similarities and this geographical proximity demand a different approach, one that takes care of the legitimate concerns of neighboring countries. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in everybody's best interests and, most importantly, in Pakistan's best interests.

Maria Syed is a writer and works for the Islamabad Policy Research Institute in Pakistan. mariaumair@gmail.com

Courtesy: Today's Zaman, 31 May 2012

JOINT DECLARATION OF THE 2ND MEETING OF PAKISTAN-TURKEY HIGH LEVEL COOPERATION COUNCIL

Reaffirming close, friendly and brotherly ties which are deeply rooted in history, and a shared culture;

Acknowledging that these brotherly bonds which have stood the test of time and transcend geographical distances are developing into a robust, strong and strategic partnership;

Recognizing that the two countries share a common vision and desire for peace and prosperity of their people and their region;

Recalling the Joint Political Declaration on Intensified Cooperation and Establishment of High Level Cooperation Council signed in Islamabad in October 2009 and the Joint Declaration on Enhancing Pakistan-Turkey Partnership signed in Ankara in December 2010;

Desirous of giving further impetus to the excellent relations between the two countries and for translating the gains arising out of their partnership for peace and prosperity into a more meaningful, mutually beneficial, long term cooperation in the economic and commercial areas;

Endorsing the results of the meetings of Joint Working Groups of the High Level Cooperation Council held in Islamabad on 19 and 20 May 2012 and at the 14th Joint Economic Commission held in in Islamabad on 21 May 2012,

We as the co-chairs of the Second Meeting of High Level Cooperation Council held in Islamabad, on 22nd May 2012 with the participation of:

H.E. Bekir Bozdağ, Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Erdoğan Bayraktar, Minister of Environment and Urban Planning, H.E. Zafer Çağlayan, Minister of Economy, H.E. Taner Yıldız, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, H.E. Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications,

H.E. Mr. Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Minister of Commerce,  H.E. Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, H.E. Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Water and Power, H.E. Dr. Arbab Alamgir Khan,  Minister for Communications, H.E. Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, H.E. Ms. Samina Khalid Ghurki, Minister for National Heritage and Integration, H.E. Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination, H.E. Mr. Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Minister for CADD, Minister-in-Waiting, H.E. Mr. Salim H.  Mandviwalla, Chairman Board of  Investment, H.E. Nawabzada Malik Amad, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs,

 Members of Parliaments as well as other prominent dignitaries and officials,

Agreed as follows:

Political Cooperation

The High Level Cooperation Council shall continue to be utilized as a major political forum to steer bilateral relations in all spheres.

Intensive exchanges at the leadership level, parliamentarians, media representatives and businessmen shall be furthered.

Mutual support at regional and international forums shall be continued.

Annual consultations at the level of Foreign Ministers would be held alternately in Ankara and Islamabad. The first meeting will be hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad in the last quarter of 2012.

Security and Defence Cooperation

Cooperation between the security agencies of the two countries would be broadened in the fields of counter terrorism and drug trafficking especially in the areas of capacity building and exchange of experience.

The armed forces of the two countries would intensify their ongoing cooperation while defence related industries would focus on joint defence production and related research and development activities.

Finance and Banking

Cooperation in the following areas shall be extended through exchange of information and experience:

Banking sector including Islamic banking, microfinance banking, trainings and exchange visits;

Insurance sector including insurance information center, catastrophe insurance, insurance arbitration methods and private pension system;

Capital market regulation, instruments and their implementation;

Public debt and risk management systems;

Budget (Performance Based Budgeting), Financial Reporting and Internal Financial Control.

Cooperation between the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) of Turkey and Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) of Pakistan in the field of anti money laundering and terrorism financing shall be strengthened by sharing information.

Means of collaboration between Istanbul Stock Exchange and Karachi Stock Exchange with a view to facilitate cross border listing and portfolio investment, and establishing an electronic exchange link to have trading in stocks listed at both exchanges shall be explored.

Implementation of the Currency Swap Arrangement for mutual cooperation signed between the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and the State Bank of Pakistan shall be furthered to maximize benefits.

Trade

The existing volume of trade between the two countries does not reflect the real potential of their respective economies. Therefore, all possible efforts to further promote and diversification of bilateral trade shall be exerted, including facilitation of transportation of merchandise as well as conclusion of bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement.

In order to create mutually agreed facilitative frameworks to substantially enhance economic and commercial relations, the concerned Ministries of the two countries were directed to conclude their technical discussions expeditiously in order to finalize a comprehensive PTA as soon as possible, which would provide comparative advantage to entrepreneurs from both sides.

Welcome the conclusion of the treaty on Protection and Promotion of Investments. Call on the corporate sectors of the two countries to invest through joint ventures in the fields of energy, construction, steel production, urban development and agro based industry.

Exchange of delegations with a view to enhance bilateral trade and investment in textile and textile machinery, automotive and agricultural industry, food processing industry and all other potential trade and investment sectors shall be encouraged.

Pakistan will provide special incentive packages and establish Exclusive Investment Zones for the Turkish companies desirous of investing in Pakistan.

Mutual cooperation for further development of economic ties with the Central Asian countries and smooth functioning of regional cooperation initiatives shall be continued.

Next meeting of the Turkey-Pakistan Joint Business Council shall be held in September 2012 or in March 2013 in Turkey which will bring up new trade and investment opportunities in both countries.

Railways and Communications

Bilateral cooperation to facilitate transit trade and improvement of transport corridors, ship building and repairs, Vessel Tracking System, road construction projects, up-gradation of railway rolling stock and locomotives shall be further enhanced.

Training of transport officials for capacity building and exchange of visits of technical experts shall be supported.

An improved and efficient rail and road network was important for the promotion of trade and economic linkages. In this respect, operations of Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Container Train (ECO Train) on a regular and timely basis with the participation of private sectors should be ensured.

Turkey’s strength and expertise in the area of road transport would be utilized for further cooperation in this field.

The two countries would explore possibilities of cooperation in the field of Railways including running of High Speed Trains as well as production and repair of passenger and cargo wagons.

Energy

Cooperation in power generation shall be developed through strengthening of information sharing on energy projects and facilitation of private sector involvement.

A meeting will be held in Turkey before the end of 2012 to develop cooperation in the field of renewable energy.

Cooperation in the field of geothermal sources, geo-information systems (GIS) and remote sensing shall be developed through exchange of scientific and technical information, exchange of expertise, study visits and training.

Cooperation in the fields of coal mining and trade of petroleum products shall be strengthened.

A Plan of Action on cooperation in the energy sector would be drawn up as agreed during the meeting of the President of the Republic of Turkey and the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Islamabad on 2 April 2010. The Joint Working Group on Energy would work on the Plan of Action and would present its recommendations to the next HLCC.

The private Pakistani and Turkish companies would be encouraged to set up hydro electric power stations and sub stations on turn-key basis.

The two countries would collaborate in the field of renewable and clean energy including wind, solar, geothermal and biogas. The MoU on cooperation in the field of renewable energy signed during the 2nd meeting of HLCC would serve as the basis for this cooperation.

Education

Turkey shall supply teachers, curriculum and training materials for Turkish language courses, provided that the Turkish language be introduced in curriculum in Pakistan.

Turkey shall provide for training of trainers for general as well as technical and vocational education.

Experience shall be shared on developing curricula and list of standards, training materials for use in vocational and technical training schools.

A Joint Working Group on Technical and Vocational Training will be constituted and the Terms of Reference will be mutually decided through diplomatic channels.

A new exchange programme for civil experts in fields such as energy, transport, agriculture, security services and public administration shall be initiated. This programme shall provide on the job training opportunities to contribute capacity building.

Scholarships schemes would be reviewed keeping in view the needs of the students and to place more focus on science and technology education.

The proposal to set up Techno parks through cooperation between universities and the corporate sector would be pursued vigorously.

Culture and Tourism

The years 2013-2014 shall be celebrated as cultural years in both the countries with a view to underline cultural commonalties and historic relations of their people.

Cooperation in the field of media should be strengthened through sharing of news and information, exchanges of television programmes and documentaries. In this respect, the MoUs already signed between the state media should be vigorously followed.

Film days and exchange of cultural troupes to promote performing arts of two nations and exhibitions of paintings, calligraphies, miniature arts, photographs and folks crafts shall be organized in both countries. Direct contact between museums and institutions as well as exchange of literary work, publication and translation of respective literature of Turkey and Pakistan shall be encouraged

The Government of Pakistan shall offer a free ethnographic corner to Turkey in Pakistani museums.

Turkey intends to open a cultural center in Pakistan in near future and welcomes the same initiative from Pakistan.

Keeping in view their diversified cultures and geographical features Turkey and Pakistan shall cooperate in the area of tourism.  In this framework, Turkey and Pakistan shall participate in tourism fairs organized in both countries.  Both sides shall invite their tour operators to familiarize them with their touristic destination. Turkey offers training for managers and officials in tourism sector of Pakistan.

Implementation Modalities

The seven Joint Working Groups of the High Level Cooperation Council shall continue their work to develop specific programmes and projects.

During the Second Meeting of High Level Cooperation Council, a number of MoUs/agreements on cooperation in various fields were signed. The list is annexed.

The next meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council shall be held in Ankara in 2013. The dates shall be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.

Done in Islamabad on 22 May 2012 in Turkish and English languages, both texts being equally authentic.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey

Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani                   

Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

List of MoUs/Agreements

1.      Memorandum of Understanding on Solid Waste Management between Karachi Municipality and Albayrak Holding

2.      Protocol between Middle East Technical University and Quaid-i Azam University

3.      Protocol on Cooperation in the Field of Archives between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

4.      Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Concerning the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments

5.      Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the Field of Urbanization

6.      Framework Document Between Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Turkey and Ministry of Communications of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Concerning Cooperation in the Field of International Road Transport

7.      Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Cooperation in the Field of Renewable Energy

8.      Joint Economic Commission Protocol

9.      Joint Declaration of the Second Meeting of Turkey-Pakistan High Level Cooperation Council

Pakistan, Turkey ink 9 accords of cooperation

ISLAMABAD, May 22 (APP): Pakistan and Turkey on Tuesday signed nine documents for cooperation in various fields particularly investments, energy and communications in a bid to further strengthen their bilateral relationship.Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan witnessed the signing of accords at a ceremony held here at the Prime Minister House. The documents included an Agreement on bilateral investment, five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) mainly on energy, education and communication and two protocols on Joint Ministerial Commission and cooperation on archives.The Agreement concerning the reciprocal Promotion and Protection of  Investments was signed by Chairman Board of Investment, Saleem Mandviwala and Turkey’s Economic Minister, Zafar Caglayan.The MoU between the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Turkey and Pakistan’s Ministry of Communications on cooperation in the field of International Road Transport was signed by Turkish Transport Minister, Binali Yildrim and Minister for Communications, Arbab Alamgir Khan.

Turkish Prime Minister conferred PhD degree

ISLAMABAD, May 22: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was conferred honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations from the Quaid-e-Azam University. Acting President Nayyer Hussain Bokhari conferred the honorary PhD degree upon the Turkish Prime Minister during a special convocation held at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, members of the Federal Cabinet, diplomats and other officials besides the academic staff of the Quaid-e-Azam University were also present on the occasion.The doctorate degree was conferred upon the visiting Turkish Prime Minister to honour his efforts in promoting understanding between civilizations, interfaith harmony, tolerance, freedom, democracy and human rights as reflected in Turkey’s dynamic foreign policy under his leadership.