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Pakistan to Deport Teachers Linked to Turkish Coup Suspect
 [AnNahar] Pakistain has ordered the deportation of 130 teachers affiliated with the alleged criminal mastermind of an attempted coup in ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , officials said Wednesday, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... was to arrive for a visit. The teachers from the private PakTurk International Schools and Colleges, backed by U.S.-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen ... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world... 's Hizmet group, will have to leave Pakistain along with other school staff and their families by November 20, school and government officials confirmed. The decision -- hailed by Erdogan as "pleasing" -- affects up to 450 people in total and will be a blow to thousands of students in Pakistain, where government figures say a staggering 24 million children remain out of school. The deportations "show how much importance Pakistain attaches to this effort", Erdogan told news hounds at the airport before departing for Islamabad Wednesday for a two-day visit. He is scheduled to meet the country's top leadership, address a joint session of parliament and visit the cultural capital of Lahore. Turkey accuses Gulen of ordering a failed coup in July, during which a rogue military faction tried to oust Erdogan from power. The country's justice minister has compared the holy man to slain al-Qaeda chief the late Osama bin Laden ... who used to be alive but now he's not... Gulen strongly denies the accusations. Ankara has called for the U.S. to extradite him and expressed impatience as American authorities study the evidence provided by Turkey before arriving at a decision. In a statement posted on the official PakTurk International Schools and Colleges website, the administration expressed deep concern over the "abrupt decision." The statement said requests to extend visas for the teachers, school management and their families had been denied. "We want to ensure the students and their parents that educational activities at all branches of PakTurk educational institutions across Pakistain are continuously operational," the statement said. A PakTurk official in Islamabad told AFP the decision would affect around 10,000 students in 28 schools and colleges around the country. The school management have already been replaced by local staff, the official said, speaking anonymously. A senior government official in Islamabad confirmed the deportation of Turkish staff by November 20. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim thanked "brotherly country Pakistain" for the decision. Pakistain's foreign ministry said Erdogan will be accompanied by a high-level entourage, including ministers and bigwigs, as well as a large business delegation. Posted by: trailing wife 2016-11-17 |
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