The plan was allegedly proposed during a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmad Shah and Turkey’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul.
“In response to this, the Minister said that the draft is under consideration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is on board with us, we hope to reach a mutual conclusion soon,” Pakistan’s ministry said in a statement.
The move to allow dual nationality would greatly expand relations between Turkey and Pakistan, which have improved in recent years.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to make a visit to Pakistan in the near future, Shah added, following a visit to the Asian state by Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in February.
Turkey and Pakistan are among the founders of the Muslim-majority D-8 group that seeks to establish strategic relations, increased trade, and more cooperation among its members.
In September, Pakistan and Turkey joined Malaysia in announcing work on the launch of an English-language television channel to tackle Islamophobia, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed.
Is this a vehicle for greater defense cooperation, including nuclear weapons technology and does it mean Pakistan will become privy to NATO operational plans? Just curious.
“Pakistan mulls deal with Turkey on dual nationality” https://t.co/PoUntYDztU— Lawrence Sellin (@LawrenceSellin) January 31, 2020
Khan announced the plan on Twitter after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
“President Erdogan, PM Mahathir and myself had a meeting today in which we decided our three countries would jointly start an English language channel dedicated to confronting the challenges posed by Islamophobia and setting the record straight on our great religion – Islam,” he said in the tweet.
“Misperceptions which bring people together against Muslims would be corrected; issue of blasphemy would be properly contextualised; series and films would be produced on Muslim history to educate/inform our own people & the world; Muslims would be given a dedicated media presence,” he added.
The issue of Islamophobia the world’s attention earlier this year when 51 people were shot dead at a church in Christchurch, New Zealand. Shocking footage of the attack was filmed by the attacker, 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, live streamed on social media platforms.
The footage showed a first-person view of the Australian gunning down dozens of worshippers as he stormed through the two mosques.
Amid global outrage over the attacks, Turkish authorities launched an investigation into the gunman, who allegedly published an online manifesto pledging to rid the famed Hagia Sophia in Istanbul of its minarets.
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