Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday where he announced the Turkish government is determinedly taking on what he termed the FETO.
He said, "We are in the process of warning all of our friends and countries across the globe with whom we have solidarity" against Feto ─ what Turkey calls an alleged terrorist organisation headed by US-based self-exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen who President Erdogan accuses of instigating a botched coup to remove him from office earlier this year.
Pakistan had earlier promised Turkey it would look into the affairs of the Pak-Turk education network that Ankara wanted shut down for its alleged links with Gulen.
"It is now certain that behind the [July 15] coup attempt we have the Gulenist terrorist organisation and its leader residing in Pennsylvania," Erdogan alleged.
"It is necessary to dismantle this evil network... The terrorist organisation is a threat to the security and public order of Pakistan," he claimed.
The Turkish president claimed Feto "has been hiding behind the facade of acceptable concepts and terms such as delivering service, education and dialogue... But we saw on July 15 that they would not refrain from aany methods, including bloodshed to gain their purposes."
"They have undertaken infiltration operations aimed against the Turkish armed forces, the Turkish police force, the juidiciary and different levels of ministries by using and hiding behind these innocent concepts."
"An on that night [of the coup], these people [Feto] carried out... all the heinous acts that you can imagine by utilising taxpayers' money," he claimed.
"They bombarded the national assembly of Turkey, the presidential complex, the headquarters of special forces. They bombed civilians. On that night, we had 248 martyrs and 2,193 veterans," he claimed. "But our nation took ownership of its independence... and democracy."
"The recent development in solidarity and support has been the decision to ask Pak-Turk staff to leave by Nov 20," Erdogan said. "This organisation will find no shelter in Pakistan."
"The students in the Pak-Turk schools will be taken care of the to the highest standards thanks to joint cooperation" between Pakistan and Turkey, Erdogan claimed.
"I am thankful for the solidarity demonstrated by the Pakistani administration on this matter... And for their decisive stance against this organisation," Erdogan said today.
"Some columnists in Pakistani newspapers were underlining or making innocent statements or remarks but they are not welcomed by us," the Turkish president said, in an apparent reference to recent coverage of the expulsion of Pak-Turk schools' Turkish staff from Pakistan.
PM Nawaz and Turkish President Erdogan addressed a joint press conference following a one-on-one meeting and delegation-level talks in the capital.