Impressions about Friendly and Brotherly Country, Pakistan

We all know the bond of affection between Türkiye and Pakistan is rooted in history. In addition to the material and moral support the Pakistani people gave to the Türkish during the War of Independence, the uniform stance of the people of the two countries in difficult times is yet another factor. However, seeing this fact in person and reading it from people's eyes makes people happy.

It was exciting to be invited to an event where the most relevant and highest position holders gave official information about Pakistan's economic, political, and cultural situation (Between 23 February - 02 March 2024). However, when we went to Pakistan, the hospitality and love we received made us even happier. Indeed, the people of Pakistan, due to their beliefs and traditions, have an incredibly peaceful and hospitable character, and you can observe this everywhere you go. Pakistani people do not deserve the malicious propaganda campaign deliberately projected in international media to tarnish Pakistan’s soft image as a peace-loving nation. Pakistan is a safe and peaceful country as long as there is no foreign intervention. We felt this personally in every street and avenue we went to, including at night, during our stay in Pakistan.

Efforts to create negative perceptions have become widespread and must be examined academically.

As a result of a bit of research we conducted, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) figures show that Pakistan is well below the USA in annual intentional killings per 100 thousand people. For the USA, this rate is approaching 23.000 people per year (2021), while in Pakistan, it is 8000 people (2018). Even if we consider the difference in population between Pakistan and the US, the numbers in Pakistan are still lower than those in the USA. These rates appear to be low in other crimes as well. The issue of preventing attacks against women is an important issue that we should all focus on and stop. A snapshot of figures for crimes against women shows Africa (3.1), America (1.6), Oceania (1.3), Asia (0.9) and Europe (0.7). When the situation is evaluated, it can be seen that Asia and Europe have the lowest rates.

It's crucial to emphasise the need for scientific analysis over purposeful prejudices. The number of women killed in attacks against women in Türkiye is around 300 annually, a figure that needs to be addressed. In England, where the fewest murders were committed, 250 women were killed. On the other hand, in the USA, 3000 women were killed in 2019 alone (The Silent Epidemic of Femicide in the US, 10 March 2023). This stark contrast underscores the need for objective understanding and evaluation. Pakistan seems to be the victim of a malicious propaganda campaign, and it's time to set the record straight.

Publications and media propaganda attempts to denigrate, humiliate, and turn the region into enemies are standard. We have revealed such malevolent publications that denigrate the area’s people against each other, divide them and pit them against each other. In our work with high-level academic and diplomatic groups from many countries, with whom we were together during the meetings in Pakistan, we have emphasised the importance of conducting enlightening and valuable aspects of the meetings. Knowing each other correctly enables us to solve problems at the very beginning.

The main problem with the Asian continent is broken ties between people and countries. Today, the Asian continent, along with the African continent, is the region of the weakest transportation network. It takes days to reach from one country to another by air, let alone by land. This demonstrates that the academics who participated in our study from Nepal, which is very close to Pakistan, arrived after a journey that lasted almost a day. Even comparing the road, rail and air traffic in Europe and North America with Asia is enough to understand this immediately. Why Asians are so divided and divorced from each other is also a separate matter of evaluation. When the obstacle to transportation is added to the already tricky geographical deployment, the picture reveals why these countries cannot develop. If the situation continues like this, they will not grow from hereon either. Attempts to hinder projects aimed at connecting Asian countries can only be malicious. These initiatives can't be accepted.

Another important issue we identified during our studies was the unfair economic pressure applied to Pakistan. Due to its geographical location, Pakistan is a country that has shared the difficulties experienced by the Afghan people since the Soviet occupation that started in 1979 and the subsequent US intervention in the region. We also know that Pakistan has no role in creating this trouble. In this process, Pakistan's contributions to maintaining regional stability are apparent. Pakistan was mistreated, and Pakistan had to pay a heavy price in this matter, for which it was not responsible. Despite this, it is unacceptable that these efforts are ignored and that pressures and veiled embargoes are applied to Pakistan just because it is implementing projects aimed at its economic development. This is a great injustice to Pakistan and its people.

Pakistan's economy and resources, like those of the surrounding countries, have great potential as we advance. Accepting this potential and mobilising it appropriately will create significant opportunities. At this point, it is a fact that ensuring stability in Afghanistan and the cooperation of countries such as Pakistan, India, and Iran will make significant contributions to increasing the welfare of the people of these countries.

Türkiye's mediating role in ensuring peace in this region is important. However, such an idea could change the fate of the area. It requires philosophical solid leaders and thinkers to see this truth through governments that have a vision, think about the future of their people, and produce discourses aimed at peaceful, rather than hostile, relations between peoples. We need conciliatory approaches, not war, violence or hatred. Otherwise, the region's people will continue to experience similar pain and difficulties caused by economic weakness decades later.

Türkiye, which is very close to the region culturally, economically, and historically, has much to do with creating such an environment of peace and prosperity, as it has done so far. Türkiye knows these regions and knows the people and their cultures closely. When he learned that we were Türks, a businessman we met in Pakistan, he said that his grandmother and the other women removed their bracelets, rings and necklaces and sent them to Anatolia during the Türkish War of Independence when he was a child. It touched us greatly, and it was also crucial in terms of revealing closeness. As it goes, a friend in need is indeed a friend. In this sense, it is evident that Türkiye sees this closeness between the Pakistani administration and the people in every sphere of life. This also applies to Pakistan. According to our historical and anthropological studies, our cultural affinity with Pakistan has an unbreakable depth of more than 2 thousand years. Like Mevlana's, our way of thinking and shared values make this even more substantial and bring us closer.

We know Pakistan, and they know Türkiye. We already know that the unrealistic perception created against Pakistan is purposeful. It is great to get to know the rich culture of this country. We also respect Pakistan's attempts to ensure peace and stability in its surroundings. In addition to rediscovering cultural richness, there are many initiatives we need to take without delay in the field of economic cooperation. One of these is the mutual coming together of our business people and the determination and implementation of common investment areas for the region and the future. Undoubtedly, such cooperation will contribute to creating a regional security and stability environment and, as an exemplary model, will also increase the welfare of the region's people in the medium and long term.