17 October 2016•Update: 17 October 2016
ANKARA
Turkey has demonstrated its greatness to the world by defeating the coup bid on July 15, Pakistani parliament speaker told his Turkish counterpart in Ankara Monday.
Sardar Aziz Sadiq made the remarks before his meeting with Turkish Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman in the Turkish capital.
Sadiq said the people of Pakistan got "really worried" on the night of the failed coup. "You [Turkish people] have shown us how resilient and what a great nation you are by overthrowing the coup bid," he said. "You have set an example for other nations to follow," he added.
Kahraman hailed the "unique brotherhood" bond between Turkey and Pakistan.
"The special relation between our countries and our people has been proven numerous times with the support we gave each other in our national causes," he said.
He also mentioned that Pakistan's National Assembly had declared its support for the Turkish government after the July 15 coup bid. "I received that declaration and I currently keep that declaration on my wall," he added.
The visiting Pakistani speaker also asked for Turkey’s support on the Kashmir issue.
Last week, Pakistani prime minister’s special envoys on Kashmir met senior Turkish lawmakers, including Kahraman and Turkey-Pakistan Friendship Group Chairman Muhammet Balta in Ankara.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full.
The two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Since 1989, Kashmiri resistance groups in Indian-held Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for its independence or for its unification with neighboring Pakistan.
More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict so far, most of them by the Indian Armed forces. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed regions.
Kahraman also met his counterparts from Afghanistan and Sudan who joined the executive committee meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The OIC is holding its 36th executive committee meeting in Ankara.
In his meeting with Afghan Parliament Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, Kahraman described the two countries as “brothers and allies”.
Ibrahimi condemned the July 15 coup attempt that martyred 241 people and wounded nearly 2,200 others.
“I watched the coup attempt via television,” he said: “I prayed for brother country Turkey and [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan to successfully get rid of these events.”
He praised Kahraman as a hero for calling an extraordinary meeting on the night of the coup attempt.
Ibrahimi said the cooperation and friendship between Turkish and Afghan parliaments would continue to grow stronger.
He also thanked the Turkish president for his support to peace talks in Afghanistan, the war-ravaged country that has been fighting the militant group Taliban for more than a decade.
“We would like Turkey to stand by us to protect peace and security,” he said.
Sudanese Parliament Speaker Ibrahim Ahmed Omer said: “All Muslim countries should take Turkey as an example.”
On July 15, Omer said Turkey showed how governments backed by the power of the people could be successful.
