ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sixth anniversary of a failed coup attempt.

The Democracy & National Unity Day of Turkiye is marked to commemorate when an attempted coup d’etat was thwarted against President Erdogan on July 15, 2016.

“I extend my congratulations to President Erdogan & the people of Turkiye on Democracy & National Unity Day of Turkiye (Demokrasi ve Milli Birlik Günü),” the prime minister said.

He added, “15 July 2016 commemorates the day President Erdogan with the support of the Turkish people defeated attempted coup against him.”

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I extend my congratulations to President Erdogan & the people of Turkiye on Democracy & National Unity Day of Turkiye (Demokrasi ve Milli Birlik Günü). 15 July 2016 commemorates the day President Erdogan with the support of the Turkish people defeated attempted coup against him.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 15, 2022

The Turkish embassy in Islamabad observed the sixth anniversary of the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt that claimed 251 lives and wounded thousands.

The Turkish ambassador to Pakistan Dr Mehmet Paçaci said President Erdogan will visit Pakistan in September this year and a trade agreement will also be signed ahead of the visit.

The ambassador while speaking about the 15 July failed coup attempt said that it was the night when Turkish democracy was protected by the Turkish people themselves under the leadership of President Erdogan.

He said, “on July 15, the existence of Türkiye was in danger when FETO terrorist organization’s followers attacked but Turkish citizens from all walks of life showed courage and rendered sacrifices to protect their democratic government and institutions.

The ambassador said that the followers of FETO tried to assassinate the president, attacked the prime minister’s vehicle, and bombarded the Grand National Assembly.

He informed that hundreds of civilians protesting the coup attempt in Ankara and Istanbul were shot dead. He said that it was Fetullah Gülen’s FETO, an organization that secretly worked in Türkiye for 40 years and its main goal was to take control of the state.

For 40 years, this organization had brainwashed the country’s children, brilliant minds in the name of educational institutions, and turned them against their own country.

At the peak of their power, they controlled thousands of schools in Türkiye and more than eight hundred educational institutes worldwide. As civil servants or military personnel, FETO members’ loyalty was not to the nation or to the state they served, he added.

He further stated that July 15th was a desperate final move of Fetullah Gülen and his followers to keep their control and capture the state.

He said the perpetrators of the 15th of July coup attempt have been brought to justice based on rule of law and fundamental rights and freedoms. A number of judicial processes are still ongoing, he added.

He added the fight against FETO structures abroad is now among the top priorities of our country. He said FETO also poses a threat to the security of all countries where it remains active. Various countries have declared FETO as a terrorist organization.

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