Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan offers lessons to Pakistani lawmakers

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has advised Pakistan’s political leadership to avoid going too far in their rivalry, saying it costs them the democratic system itself.

His address to Pakistani parliament was nothing short of a scolding by an elder brother. He, who has already completed two highly successful terms as premier since 2003 and is currently in his third, enjoys good ties with the Pakistani government and opposition alike.

In his ad-lib address, delivered in Turkish, translated into Urdu by an interpreter, to a joint session of parliament, he had plenty of advices for an increasingly irritable opposition.

He observed, “The real role of the opposition is not to criticize the government merely for the sake of criticism but to point out the ills that need to be corrected”.

In his view, a strong democratic system in Pakistan could lead to an equally strong economic system that could benefit its people in the longer runs.

He advised the youngsters to come forward and participate in the national democratic process, saying there was heavy responsibility on the nation’s lawmakers.

Commending the huge sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in fight against terrorism during the recent years, he added that they understand the pain of Pakistan and will continue to stand by with them in coming days.

Assuring that Turkey and Pakistan would stand together in the fight against, he noted, “Terrorism and the trilateral arrangement among Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan would continue to build towards regional peace”.

The Turkish premier expressed hopes that the defence cooperation between the two countries would get stronger and people-to-people contacts and ties at the level of their business communities and youth would be increased in the coming days.

The joint session had a calming effect on the burgeoning tension between the treasury and opposition benches. It was clearly visible in the sitting, as not only PML-N parliamentarians were present but Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also attending it.

The opposition, particularly the PML-N, has raised hell including walking out, protests and sloganeering for the resignation of Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, following he was convicted by the Supreme Court in contempt of court case.

Turkey is also a member of NATO, whose supply route in Afghanistan has been blocked by Pakistan for six months now. Reports claimed that his visit was meant to cool hyped political tempers.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on May 22 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.